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It had happened again. Denki jumped in front of Kyouka during a villain attack. They could feel it coming, it had happened every time he had been in reach in the past 4 months . Kyouka lay flopped on their couch and groaned. They loved their boyfriend, but it really was starting to feel like he didn’t believe in them. They could handle themself in the line of battle. It was like Denki had an impulse, something he couldn’t control, to save them instead of civilians.
Kyouka slowly pulled themself up, starting towards the coffee in the pot ahead of them. They needed a distraction before they did something bad. They poured a cup, took a sip, and stared at the dark, drab ceiling of their small apartment. There was a knock at the door.
Kyouka made their way to the entrance, looking out of the peephole. It was Denki. They swung open the door.
“Yeah?” They said, masking their annoyance.
“I think. We need to talk,” Denki replied, voice impossibly small. Kyouka screamed internally.
“Okay. You can sit on the bed, I have coffee so I’ll get you a cup.” Denki thanked them. He made his way over to their bed. Kyouka followed shortly after, sitting on the coffee table in front of him. “What is it?”
“Are you… mad at me?” Denki looked up, hands wrapped around his mug.
“Oh, why would I be,” Kyouka said sarcastically. They immediately regretted it. They didn’t even need to look up to see the pained expression on Denki’s face. Before they could apologize, Denki spoke again.
“I guess I’m not really sure why you’re mad,” Denki explained. Kyouka looked up, placing their cup next to them.
“Do you know what you do every single time we face a villain together?” Kyouka asked. Recognition lit up on Denki’s face. “You jump in front of me. I never get the final punch in,” Kyouka continued. They felt the dams holding back their anger weakening. They knew they should stop there, Denki obviously got the point, but the months of bottling up insecurity was getting to them. Kyouka stood up, rounding the coffee table, trying and failing to hold back tears made of pure frustration.
Kyouka was losing control. Everything screamed to stop, that all they were gonna do was hurt Denki, but their own hurt quickly overcame it. Finally, it came out. “Why do you always try to protect me? It’s insulting, how often it happens!” Kyouka tried to ignore the discomfort of the tears streaking their cheeks. They knew Denki could see them, and that only made them feel worse, more insecure, more… helpless. Even if they were trying to make an argument in the exact opposite direction.
“I… I know you can take care of yourself. But, I guess… in the worst case scenario, I’d much rather it be me than you,” Denki said simply, avoiding Kyouka’s eyes, seemingly at all costs.
Kyouka paused. They thought and thought and thought.
And then it clicked.
“When you say worst case scenario…” Kyouka took a deep breath. “You mean death, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question, just a statement. Denki nodded weakly, still not daring to look up and meet Kyouka’s eyes. They could tell by his reaction that he had hoped they wouldn’t figure it out.
Throughout the whole situation, the only emotion Kyouka willingly showed was anger. Now, they couldn’t stop the sadness from rushing to the front. Tears welled up yet again, the shaking of their head letting them loose. They fell to their knees, unable to keep their hands steady as they reached for Denki’s. The tight fists in Denki’s lap loosened a little when Kyouka covered them with theirs. They had no clue when Denki had put down his coffee. A few moments passed, the only sound Kyouka’s heavy breathing. Soon, they felt something splat against their hand. Water, there was water, and that meant tears, but they weren’t Kyouka’s tears, they were Denki’s tears. He had been so quiet and still that Kyouka hadn’t noticed before.
In a moment, Kyouka flashed up, wrapping their arms tightly around Denki’s shoulders, nearly knocking him over with the pure force of it.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have gotten so mad, and I shouldn’t have yelled,” Kyouka rambled, gripping the back of Denki’s shirt. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t move either. Denki remained still. The only sign Kyouka had of his life was his chest rising and falling against theirs.
Eventually, Denki sniffed and shifted. Kyouka removed their arms from around him, falling to his side, sitting on the bed next to him. Denki’s arm wrapped around their shoulders. He gently wiped away some of the tears, pressing a kiss into their temple.
They sat there like that for who-knows-how-long.
======
Kyouka’s face scrunched up, dried tears making it sticky and uncomfortable. They felt warmth surrounding them, emanating from the body beside them. Denki’s arm was still wrapped around them, holding them close. At some point, it appeared that they had both fallen asleep. Kyouka felt Denki stir beneath their head on his chest.
“Kyouka, you awake?” Denki asked quietly. He was being careful to avoid waking them up in case they were actually asleep. Kyouka nodded. “Do you wanna talk about last night?” Kyouka sat up reluctantly, missing Denki’s touch immediately. Denki sat too, quickly picking up his hands. ‘ Would you rather sign?’
‘Yes. You don’t have to, too.’ Kyouka replied.
“Okay. Go ahead, I’m looking,” Denki said comfortingly. God, Kyouka didn’t know what they did to deserve him.
‘ I was frustrated. Let it build up. Last night, I let it out. It wasn’t fair, and I’m sorry. ’ Denki nodded.
“It’s okay,” Denki sighed.
‘ You deserve to say your side ’ Kyouka said, looking to Denki.
“Ah.” Denki breathed deeply. “I guess, I got so scared of losing you that I started subconsciously trying to get you out of dangerous situations. If that meant jumping in front of villains, my mind decided it was worth it to get you out of harm’s way.”
Kyouka waited until they were sure he was finished, then they signed ‘ Then I might lose you. ’ Denki looked up to their eyes, mouth hanging open.
“I- yeah,” Denki laughed awkwardly, then sighed. “I’ll try to stop doing it from now on.”
‘ I’ll make sure not to get angry about it again. ’
“Hey Kyou?”
‘ Yeah? ’
“I love you.”
‘
I love you too.
’