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Eijirou drew his wand close and pointed it at the moving shadows. The infirmary was dark, with the moon peeking in through the blinds, stating that it was the middle of the night. Eijirou knew that Recovery Girl had already retired to her quarters, and since Eijirou was the only person spending the night in the infirmary, he was quite startled when he heard shuffling near the entrance. His condition was not critical, as he had already spent two days passed out, healing, so there really was no chance that the person walking in was Recovery Girl coming to check up on Eijirou’s injuries. Still, he hoped it was her and some kind of magical entity. Oh fuck, what if it’s a werewolf, I can’t fight right now, fuck, my arm hurts from holding up my wand, how does it expect me to fight it I-
“Ei, point that thing away from me, Jesus Christ, it’s just me you dumbass.” Said a voice, a familiar voice, a voice Eijirou had not heard in exactly two days, not ever since the incident. Relief and comfort washed over him as he was enveloped in Bakugou Katsuki’s bear-hug.
There were three things on Eijirou’s mind: first, I love it when he calls me Ei. Second, Bakugou’s hugs are the best. Third, isn’t it way past curfew? What is he doing here? He’ll get in so much trouble and he’s still not completely off the hook from Midnight from the last time he was out during curfew, what is he thinking?
Nevertheless, Eijirou was happy to see Bakugou, who softly whispered Lumos, illuminating both the boy’s faces. And, in the dim light, Eijirou remembered just how pretty and soft Bakugou is when he’s not angry. His red eyes looked purple in the light and his hair looked a snowy white, the scar over his nose was highlighted as well. Eijirou knew he had a dopey and crooked grin on his face, but it was hard to smile with bandages on his face, and he was happy to see the boy with whom he’d been in love with since first year.
“Hey,” Eijirou said, softly, still staring at Bakugou.
“Hey,” came the even softer reply. Then, the moment passed, and Bakugou furrowed his eyebrows and started aggressively whispering. “Ei, you absolute fuck, don’t you ever try that shit again, come on, fighting a troll by your fucking self? Those things are fucking huge, what the ever damn were you thinking? Sure, whatever, you protected that stupid ass first year that somehow wondered into the Forbidden Forest, but at what cost? You could’ve died, you masochist,” Bakugou finished abruptly, staring at Eijirou, his voice becoming more aggressive and strangled as the rant went on.
“I, uh,” his voice was hoarse due to not using it for so long, and Eijirou felt his throat begin to ache. “Sorry?”
Bakugou sighed, dragging his hand down his face. He then looked down at the bed, his demeanor suddenly changing from angry to almost nervous. He was fidgeting, and took one of Eijirou’s hands. His fingers brushed Eijirou’s knuckles, and Eijirou tensed at the sudden contact. He loved Bakugou’s hands: they were calloused and covered in small scars, but they still managed to be elegant and beautiful. Bakugou, however, had a weird thing with people holding his hands. He was weird with physical contact in general, but he still let his friends occasionally hug him and pat his back (except for Eijirou, who was seemingly always somehow holding onto Bakugou, which Bakugou for some reason did not mind). However, even Eijirou rarely got to touch Bakugou’s hands.
So, Bakugou initiating hand holding was a first. Eijirou was still tense, but gripped Bakugou’s hand back. He gave it a light squeeze, receiving one back instantly.
Bakugou looked up again into Eijirou’s eyes. Their breaths muddled from the proximity of their faces, Bakugou’s breath being more rigid and stable while Eijirou’s was still faint and a bit irregular.
Eijirou usually would have been freaking out at, at everything--the proximity, the hand-holding, Bakugou’s eyes staring back, Bakugou’s mouth slightly open, Bakugou’s hair lightly touching Eijirou’s forehead, Bakugou, Bakugou, Bakugou. And he was freaking out, if his pulsating heart and clammy hands were anything to go by, but he also felt a sort of peace. Eijirou was comforted, relaxed. He does not remember his two-day coma at all: just remembers going after the first year after hearing about it from Uraraka, then fighting a giant troll that was about to swipe at the small boy, then Eijirou woke up to Recovery Girl telling him that he’s been out of it for two days. It was already evening when he woke up, so he was not expecting visitors, so he had asked Recovery Girl if--oh god, oh no, oh, that’s why Bakugou was acting all... affectionate. Eijirou felt stupid for not realizing how worried his friends must have been: hearing that their friend fought a troll and now wasn’t waking up must’ve been a hell lot of news in too short of a time.
Eijirou slumped in his bed, understanding dawning his eyes. “Oh, Katsuki, I’m so- shit, I just realized how worried-”
“I wasn’t worried-”
“How screwed up this whole situation must have been. I’m- I’m sorry, I really- shit, I just I wasn’t thinking because the troll was about to strike and the boy was frozen in his spot, understandably, and I wasn’t thinking and just jumped in front of him, I don’t even remember what spell I yelled out but I sure hope it was a deflective one- I, fuck, sorry, and now I’m all injured and I really should have been more careful I-”
“Fucking hell, shut up, you loser,” Bakugou said, squeezing Eijirou’s hand once more, which made Eijirou’s heart beat even louder, “Yes, you should’ve been more careful, and yes, this whole situation is a big fucking mess, but you were brave. You acted on, fuck, on instinct, and ended up saving the boy. So, good job, Gryffindor, or whatever.”
Bakugou rants a lot but he rarely gives out speeches like this, and it made Eijirou absolutely melt. He pulled in for another tight hug, with Bakugou protesting but hugging back nonetheless. Eijirou sighed, relaxing in Bakugou’s arms. It felt nice, to be held, they haven’t been hanging out much lately because of studies, so this felt almost like a reunion. Hugging this boy, Eijirou realized, felt like home, felt like happiness, felt like comfort. It was like falling into bed at the end of a long school day, and Eijirou knew he was being sappy, but Bakugou’s smell, Bakugou’s arms, Bakugou’s hair, Bakugou’s hold, Bakugou’s breathing, Bakugou’s everything was Eijirou’s favorite thing in the world.
They let go, and Bakugou put away his wand, enveloping the two in darkness again. Eijirou, confused, watched as Bakugou motioned for Eijirou to move over in the bed.
“But, it’s way past curfew, what if Recovery Girl comes back?”
“I don’t fucking care, I’ll sneak out just before dawn. Now scooch you oversized cat,”
And Eijirou made space for Bakugou, thinking about how Bakugou was the cat here. The two laid down facing each other. Eijirou, as he does, began rambling about something that happened with Kaminari in their Herbology class. His eyes were drooping, though, and his voice was getting quieter and hoarser, and his head was spinning a bit.
When Eijirou woke, Bakugou was no longer by his side, and the room was bright with the sun peeking in, and Recovery Girl was milling about by her desk.
And Eijirou realized, he realized that Bakugou did not let go of his hand until he was safely asleep.