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“Blasty, behind you!” Eijirou yelled across the field to his partner. They’d been a hero duo for a few years now since they graduated from UA. They were against a large group of villains, quirks ranging from being able to start fires, telekinesis, and static electricity. His partner, Bakugou Katsuki can handle is own, Eijirou doesn’t doubt that one bit. However, when Katsuki gets focused, he doesn’t pay attention to what’s around him.
“Your left, Red!” Katsuki knew that Eijirou’s full hero name was Red Riot, but Red was his nickname from UA. They’ve been friends for close to five years now, and known each other for six. Eijirou was always the happy go lucky person who Katsuki used to hate. Not because Eijirou was a bad person, but just because sometimes he could be annoying.
Katsuki wasn’t always the person he was now, someone who knows when enough is enough. He used to be short tempered, angry, and closed off. He never wanted anyone to be near him, because he was always afraid to hurt them. Not only that, but he was always worried that he wasn’t good enough to be by anybody’s side. It wasn’t until Eijirou pointed out the flaw in Katsuki’s personality that he decided to change.
“You know something, Blasty? You’re an asshole sometimes.” Eijirou stopped walking, and when Katsuki looked back, he had a look of fear on his face. Eijirou always spoke his mind, and he always knew what to expect. With Katsuki, it was different though. Nothing was ever expected, and it wasn’t ever normal.
“I have to be. I can’t save anyone if I worry too much for those around me.” Katsuki never had to explain himself before. Not to someone he barely knew, and not to someone who was this happy. He shrugged off the conversation and continued walking.
“You know, you don’t have to be. You can still have friends without being an asshole.” Eijirou shrugged and took a bite of his burger. They were studying for a test at the library, and decided to stop by and grab something quick to eat on the ride home. “It’s just the matter of if you wanted to change.”
“How the fuck would I do that? Everyone hates me as it is.” Katsuki stopped and looked at Eijirou again. He really wanted to understand what this conversation was. He never really thought about changing who he was, because who cares? If people don’t like him, that’s fine. He wanted to be a hero to make a change in the world. Not that he’d ever tell anyone that out loud.
“I don’t hate you. You are an ass, but I don’t hate you.” It was true though, Eijirou didn’t hate him. If he was being truthful, he had a crush on Katsuki. He would never act on it however, he didn’t want to ruin anything that he was building right now. Whether this could be friendship, or just study partners, it was better than watching from afar.
“I still don’t see how you don’t hate me. I’m an asshole after all.” Katsuki shrugged and stared at the sidewalk. Eijirou was attractive, and he was an amazing person. Why he’d be interested in being friends with someone who was an asshole was weird. It bothered Katsuki to no end to not understand, but after that he tried to change who he was.
That was the conversation that changed Katsuki’s point of view. He started interacting with some of the other students. He even had his own so called “squad” consisting of Kirishima Eijirou, Kaminari Denki, Hanta Sero and Ashido Mina. They hung out together in the dorms, while Katsuki tutored them all. In return, they’d treat him to spicy ramen on a weekly basis. It became habit to have cuddle sessions in the cold, which never bothered Katsuki as much as he thought it would be.
Katsuki was caught up in his own mind, that he didn’t notice the villain coming up on his right until it was too late. This villains quirk wasn’t anything special or unique, but it was dangerous nonetheless. As soon as Katsuki noticed the villain, he had a knife stuck in his side. The quirk was almost like Momo’s, where she could create items once she understood the molecular structure.
Katsuki pulled the knife out of his side and threw it on the ground. He activated his quirk and blasted the villain a small distance away, effectively knocking him unconscious. Eijirou finished up with the final villain just as the police showed up to haul them all away. He wiped his hands on his pants before jogging over to where Katsuki was standing.
“You’re bleeding. What happened?” Eijirou looked at Katsuki’s side where blood was soaking through his costume. He was worried now, especially since Katsuki was the one who didn’t get hurt. He didn’t get bruises, or cuts, he was the safe one. It was usually Eijirou who’d end up with cuts and bruises even though his quirk allowed him to harden his skin.
“Nothing I can’t handle, it’s just a scratch.” Katsuki leaned against a wall and leaned his head back. He could tell it wasn’t just a scratch, and he knew Eijirou could tell he was lying. He couldn’t tell how bad the wound really was without taking off his costume. He felt dizzy and he couldn’t think straight right now. The last thing he could remember was someone yelling “Katsuki” before he passed out.
Eijirou was sitting next to the bed in the hospital, watching Katsuki sleep. The doctors think that the knife he was stabbed with had some sort of poison on the blade. If Eijirou was any later getting him to the hospital, it probably would have been too late to reverse. Even now, Katsuki was hooked up to monitors, and dialysis to help clean his blood of the poison.
“You stupid idiot. You’re supposed to be the safe one.” Eijirou grabbed Katsuki’s hand and held it tightly. Even after all these years, he still has a silly crush on Katsuki. It’s more profound, and there’s more substance, that one might call it love. He laid his head on the bed and played with Katsuki’s fingers. Usually it was Katsuki sitting in the chair next to Eijirou while the doctors patched him up.
Katsuki opened his eyes and looked around the room. It was dark outside, but he couldn’t tell if it was late night, or early morning. His body felt heavy, and his head was pounding. He tried to lift his hand, but there was a weight that wasn’t supposed to be there. When he looked down, he noticed Eijirou sleeping on the side of the bed while holding Katsuki’s hand.
“Hey shitty hair.” His voice was hoarse, and his throat hurt like hell. He’s grateful that it was dark in the room, because he’d probably feel blind too. He saw Eijirou shift slightly before sitting up and blinking the sleep away. He yawned and let go of Katsuki’s hand to stretch his arms over his head.
“You’re finally awake. Holy shit, I was so scared.” Eijirou stood up and pushed the chair away, wrapping his arms around Katsuki’s neck gently. If Katsuki didn’t wake up soon, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. Katsuki wasn’t only his partner, but he was his best friend too. “I thought I was going to be too late.”
“I was only stabbed. No need to get so emotional.” Katsuki placed a hand on Eijirou’s back and moving in circular motions. He didn’t think being stabbed entitled him to be in the hospital, or for Eijirou to be scared. Eijirou was always the worrier when something went wrong. Katsuki was usually the one who told him to stop whining and just do the job.
“It wasn’t just a knife, Blasty. It had poison on it.” Eijirou leaned back slightly and stared at Katsuki’s face. He was pale, but he was alive and awake. He couldn’t hold back his emotions anymore and the waterworks started. He hid his face in Katsuki’s chest and cried loudly. He was so relieved that Katsuki was okay, and he couldn’t handle himself anymore.
“Not even poison can kill me Red. Haven’t you learned?” Katsuki lifted Eijirou’s head up and looked him in the eyes. Wiping away a few of Eijirou’s tears with his thumb, he smiled softly. He wouldn’t let himself get killed now, not when he’s finally able to do what he’s always dreamed of. Eijirou cast his eyes down and stared at Katsuki’s chest.
“I was so scared I would lose you.” Eijirou sniffed and clutched Katsuki’s hospital gown in his hands. He could see wet spots forming from where his tears were falling. He felt Katsuki run his fingers along his cheeks, down his jaw and under his chin. Lifting Eijirou’s head up gently, Katsuki leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his partners’ lips.
“I would never go anywhere I couldn’t have you by my side.” Katsuki smiled again and wrapped an arm around Eijirou’s waist pulling him closer. He moved over slightly so Eijirou could climb into the bed next to him. They laid together for hours, talking about everything and nothing at all. What they could do better in their next villain attack, their high school years, and finally, their feelings.
“You mean to tell me, you’ve had a crush on me since our first year?” Eijirou snorted and ran a finger across the length of Katsuki’s stomach. He thought he was bad by hiding his own crush, but Katsuki having a crush? That was completely unheard of until just this moment. “I can’t believe you were too scared to tell me.”
“Well you didn’t fucking tell me either!” Katsuki laughed and squeezed Eijirou’s middle, making him squeal. Eijirou always was ticklish, but Katsuki would save that for another day when he wasn’t in pain. He kissed Eijirou’s forehead, and closed his eyes. He hated hospitals, and he couldn’t wait to go home and sleep in his own bed.
“Goodnight, Katsuki.” Eijirou kissed Katsuki’s cheek gently before closing his eyes. He heard Katsuki’s soft snores, and within a few minutes, he was asleep as well. The doctor came in to check in his patient when he saw the two men sleeping peacefully. He smiled softly before backing out of the room slowly and shutting the door behind him. He’d leave them be for a while longer before waking them up.