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“Fuck it...” Eijirou turns back to Katsuki laying on the ground, injured, and helped him off the ground and get him out of the building.
“C’mon you’re almost out,” Eijirou muttered quietly. “Keep going on without me, I’ll keep these villains at bay.”
Katsuki looks at him, dazed. His head was still pounding from the previous impact of hitting the wall. He looked towards Eijirou, above him he could see the concrete ceiling about to cave in over top his friend “EIJIROU!” he called out instinctively, not remembering to use the boy’s hero name.
Eijirou turned around to meet Katsuki’s gaze, letting go of his hardened state for a small moment, but it was too late. The ceiling already started collapsing. Eijirou couldn’t react in time to activate his quirk fully and within seconds, the ceiling fell over top him.
The sound of concrete slamming into concrete made Katsuki’s heart drop. Dust and debris were scattered everywhere, and he could no longer see the red headed boy. Where he was last standing was now the center of a pile of rubble.
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Eijirou was trapped under the concrete. He had been pinned underneath debris and the like in the past but the amount of pressure on his back weighing him down was unlike any previous experience. That mixed with his previous minor injuries from the battle and his fatigue now setting in, he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his quirk active much longer. He tried moving but it only made the pain worse.
“I’m sorry, Fat Gum,” Eijirou started to think. “You brought me into your hero agency and helped me so much. Just don’t blame yourself too much when the inevitable happens.” He grits his teeth together. He didn’t want to break, not here. Not underneath a pile of concrete. “I’m also sorry to you, Crimson Riot. I took on your name, but it seems I’m not doing much honor to it.”
Eijirou allowed his mind to wander away from the crushing pain stemming from his soon death due to who knows how many tons of concrete on top of him. His thoughts wandered to UA, but mostly Katsuki. Memories of their time together and how bad of a crush he had on him. He never got to confess. Never got to say those three little words. I love you. His plan had been to confess to him later that week.
Eijirou’s master plan was to ask Katsuki to the school dance. Real original, right? He told himself that if it didn’t go how he was hoping, he could just play it off as asking him as a friend. He had it all planned out in his mind. They were already going to see a movie together that weekend. Some new action movie with the superheroes being based off of the lives of real pro heroes. His plan was that when they neared UA, before they got to the dorms, to ask him. Plain and simple. That way if it went south, he had his dorm to escape to and not have to suffer through an awkward walk. Gosh, how he hoped that Katsuki would say yes to him.
His confession though, would be dying with him, under this pile of concrete. Eijirou had faith in Katsuki that he would make it to number 1. He knew how much that would mean to him. He had hoped to be up there on the stage with him. Likely not as number 2, but somewhere on there. Eijirou also knew how closed off Katsuki was. He knew that he was easily Katsuki’s best friend, even if Katsuki would never admit it. It’s one of the reasons he had been putting off confessing. He didn’t want to change what they had, because what if they broke up? It wouldn’t ever be the same. Regardless, it was obvious Katsuki somewhat cared for him. So, he hoped that his death here wouldn’t weigh him down too much. God, with the amount of stuff Katsuki has been through, he knew that his death was just another thing tacked onto the growing list. Given how easily he could read people, he knew that this death would likely crush his soul, being Katsuki’s closest friend even if the boy would never admit it.
“Hey Katsuki,” Eijirou started to think. He knew these thoughts would never reach the blond, but he allowed himself to at least pretend they would.
“You know, no matter how much yelling and screaming you do, or how anti-social you may be, or even how aggressive you are, you’re still the person I love to be around most. Despite your tough outer shell, you are a really fun person and you’re also incredibly strong. Not like you don’t know that already. I know you’ll make it to number 1 someday. You’ve got the motivation and the heart for it, along with the super flashy quirk that everyone loves to see in heroes. But despite all these things, none of them are my favorite things about you.”
Whatever energy Eijirou still had was slowly depleting, and he could feel his quirk slowly getting weaker. He knew he was running out of time, and he wanted to confess everything to himself before that.
“My favorite things about you are the things that you try so hard to cover up. My favorite things about you are the small little hints of you as just a normal person, not as some soon to be a top hero. Like your infatuation with romance manga's. I remember when I first went into your room and saw the shelf of manga with all the different romance series’. The embarrassment on your face is something I’ll never forget.”
The tears started to form in Eijirou’s eyes. He tried so hard not to let them fall but alas, they persisted. Whether the tears were from his body aching or these memories, he couldn’t tell.
“The thing that made me fall in love with you, I think, was how you’re always working on improving yourself. Not just physically, or quirk wise, but your personality. Your heart. Your mind. Back when we were first years, I remember how much of an ass you could be, but you’ve come so far from then. Sure, sometimes you still lack empathy or sympathy in certain situations, or say the wrong things sometimes, but you realize your mistakes now and try and improve on them. I think that’s why I like you so much. You never settle for ‘good enough’ and always work to be the best you that you can be in every way, and that’s pretty manly of you. Considering you went from being a full-time bully in middle school and now being someone that people aren't afraid to open up to is a huge improvement and I know you think it's gone unnoticed, but it hasn’t. I’ve noticed, Katsuki. How could I not when you're right there in front of me shining like a star. So please, after I’m gone continue working and never stop, please. I can only hope that I could have been ‘the best’ for you.”
The tears were flowing freely now, hitting the concrete below him and forming a small puddle. He felt stupid and dumb for crying, he knew what he was asking for when he signed up to be a hero. He knew this was going to come one day, but he didn’t plan on it being so soon.
“I just wish I knew how you felt about me too.”
Eijirou closed his eyes fully allowing himself to succumb to the pressure of the concrete above him. He let himself relax; his fighting spirit had dwindled to a mere nothing. He had become content with dying here. His energy was all depleted and he could feel himself losing consciousness due to the lack of oxygen that could make its way to his lungs. The unbearable pressure from the tons of concrete crushing his body. Slowly the world started to fade. The fight that he could hear from outside the concrete was fading away. His body slowly losing consciousness.
“I love you, Katsuki.” Eijirou muttered out loud before allowing his fatigue to take over him.
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The deafening sound of the building collapsing on top of his friend, along with the pressure of the wind from its impact, knocked Katsuki to the ground. He fell backwards and hit his head on the pavement. His vision went black for a second before he mustered up enough strength to sit back up and look at the pile of rubble in front of him.
“EIJIROU!” Katsuki called out in his weak state. “Ei... no” he said in between sobs. With the amount of pain coursing through his head and the numb feeling over his entire right side, he could hardly get up. “You can't die on me,” tears flooded Katsuki’s eyes and caused his vision to blur. “Not like this.”
The blond filled with the need to save the boy he liked so much, the boy he never got to confess to, dragged himself to the pile of rubble and started moving concrete left and right, completely ignoring the ongoing battle and any pain he felt.
“Eijirou, please, still be alive. I need you please. You’re supposed to be on the top 10 stage with me. We’re supposed to be a duo. We’re supposed to work together. Please,” Katsuki pleaded quietly.
After digging through the rubble for a couple of minutes he found Eijirou, weak and unconscious. When he did his face lit up and he started moving anything and everything out of the way.
“Eijirou please,” he said again.
After clearing away enough rubble he was able to pull Eijirou out. “Ei- Eijirou can you hear me?” he asked. After not getting a response, he frantically checked for a pulse. He was alive, barely. “Eijirou, hold on for just a little longer.” He held onto him until the end of the battle, finding a quiet place away from the main fighting. Soothing words escaping from his lips trying to convince, himself mostly, that it would be alright.
Katsuki brushed the hair out of Eijirou’s face. He rested the boy’s head in his lap, elevating it slightly, as he ran his fingers through the boy’s hair. It was soft. Softer than he imagined considering the amount of hair gel that boy used. He muttered quietly to himself, and to Eijirou, how it was all going to be ok. That it was all going to be alright. That emergency services were on their way and any second they would show up and that, “Ei, you’re gonna be alright. You’re gonna make it out of here alive. You hear me?” Katuski’s voice increasing in volume slightly, before cracking. “You have to... I didn’t get to tell you how much I love you yet.”
Katsuki grabbed the boy’s hand and squeezed it lightly. He interlaced his fingers with the unconscious boy’s and brought it to his lips. He kissed it softly before placing it back down beside Eijirou’s body. He let himself continue holding onto the boy’s hand as he heard the sirens blaring down the street. He could see the flashing lights of the ambulance in the distance.
His face lit up, his eyes wide with hope. He started to try and sit Eijirou up so he himself could get up.
“Ei, you’re gonna be alright, kay?” He got up from his sitting position and grabbed Eijirou’s wrist to wrap the boy’s arm around his shoulders. That’s when he noticed that he couldn’t feel a pulse anymore. His mind went into a panic mode, and he sat back down and checked again for a pulse. Nothing. And again. Nothing. And again. Nothing.
“No, Ei, please.” Katsuki pleaded to the now dead boy. “Come back, please. You have a whole life to live. We’re supposed to go to the movies. We’re supposed to be pro heroes together. The ambulance is just down the street they can help you. Just...” his voice trailed off. The realization that there was nothing he could do to get the boy back to life. He pulled Eijirou’s body close to his and pulled him into a one-sided hug. He buried his face in Eijirou’s hair, trying to contain the sobs escaping his mouth.
He didn’t go to the movies that weekend.
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It was a few weeks later from the catastrophe of a fight. From the loss of a classmate. His death had been spread across the news, Yuuei now getting criticism for its supposed lack of care for its students. For letting one of them die.
Katsuki couldn’t bring himself to watch the news. He had gone home temporarily. He couldn’t stand it being at Yuuei. Memories of Eijirou were everywhere when he got back from the battle, he just couldn’t stand it. He went back home, and his parents understood. He cried in front of them for the first time in probably years. He let himself be vulnerable and let others take care of him.
When he had to go back to Yuuei he shut himself inside of his dorm room which he tore apart in a mix of anger and sadness. He was just so tired of everything. At night, Katsuki would find himself waking up at ungodly hours from nightmares. They always replayed the events of that night in some twisted or tormented way. They always followed the same pattern though.
Eijirou saving him.
The building collapsing.
Finding him at the very bottom.
Pulling him out.
Hearing the sirens.
Realizing he’s dead.
Every night without fail, these events would replay in his mind.
One night after waking up from one of his nightmares again, he found himself going to Eijirou’s room. He had avoided going in because he was scared of breaking down at seeing all the things of Eijirou’s. Though he couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t want it to feel like he was running away anymore, so he decided to face this problem of his head on.
It was around 4 in the morning. He woke up from the nightmare, as expected. One moment he was lying in bed looking up at his ceiling, but the next he was in the hallway outside the door to Eijirou’s room. His hand was shaking like crazy. This is stupid. Katsuki found himself thinking, but no matter what he couldn’t get himself to go back to his own dorm.
He got himself to push the door open. He was greeted with the scent of Eijirou. The smell of Eijiorou filled Katsuki’s lungs. His eyes started to water no matter how much he tried to make them not. His vision blurred and he wiped the tears away from his eyes and looked around the room again. The punching bag, that was beaten to a pulp, that Eijirou had from their first year here. The stupid clock with the arms still hanging on his wall. Clothing littered the floor. The inspirational posters on his walls. The perfectly made bed in the corner.
Katsuki found himself making his way to Eijirou’s bed. He lied down and allowed himself to take in the scent on the sheets. He took long, deep, breaths trying to remember every little detail about him into his mind, scared that one day he would forget it. He fell asleep in that bed, not waking up to any more nightmares, and only waking up to the sun peaking in through the curtains. He checked the stupid clock with the arms for what time it was. 11:26.
He got up but allowed himself to stay in the room for a little longer. He ran his hands along the Eijirou’s desk. The memories of how many times him and his friends all hung out in this room. Memories of Eijirou’s bright laughter bouncing off the walls, paired with his infuriatingly adorable smile. His eyes were looking over the papers strewn around on the desk. Assignments he had yet to finish, random doodles, graded work. He looked up and took one more look around the room again. He suddenly felt like he was intruding in a space that he didn’t belong in. That it was somehow wrong for him to be in here. He had been in here multiple times in the past, but this time it felt different.
He started to make his way out of the room. On his way out though, the Crimson Riot hoodie that Eijirou would always wear caught his eye. It rested on top of his dresser. I shouldn’t. Katsuki thought, but he couldn’t stop himself. He was already walking over to it. He picked it up, tucked it under his arm, and promptly made his way out of the room. He just needed something of Eijirou’s. Maybe it was a little weird, but he didn’t care. He would take care of this hoodie as if it getting damaged, would kill him.
He made his way back into his own room and shut the door softly. He took the hoodie and put it on himself. It fit well around him. Eijiou had bulked up a lot from their first year here. The hoodie was just barely oversized on Katsuki, but he didn’t mind. He went back to his bed and laid down, taking in a deep breath of Eijirou’s scent from the hoodie and slowly falling back asleep, even if it was nearly noon.
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It was the day of the funeral. Eijirou’s funeral. Katsuki was prepared, or at least prepared enough to where he thought he wouldn’t break down just by seeing the casket.
He dragged himself out of bed that morning only because he knew this would be his last chance to see Eijirou. He had also been asked to speak at the funeral as he was one of Eijirou’s closest friends. He obliged and for about a week he had been trying to come up with something to say, but everything he wrote just felt so off. It didn’t feel right. So here he was, day of the funeral at which he’s supposed to speak at, without a speech.
He took a quick shower and got dressed in a nice suit. He wore a red tie as it was Ei’s favorite color and made his way to the car out front of the dorms with his parents inside to take him to the funeral. The car ride was silent, and the air was tense. The drive felt long, but it was really only about a 15-minute drive. When they arrived before stepping out of the car, the blond boy made sure that he was ready. After a couple of deep breaths, he opened the car door and stepped out. He walked inside Eijirou’s home where the funeral was taking place. When he walked in, he was greeted with the faces of Ei’s mourning parents. The two moms with red eyes and tight-lipped smiles, giving him a curt nod and polite greeting.
He moved away from his parents and walked around the house slightly. He didn’t go over to see Eijirou. Not yet at least. He had been to his house many times in the past, but every time he came, he found something new. He could see the memories of him living here. The marks on the door frame showing his height progressing throughout the years. The family photos of him with his moms and the baby photos of him showcasing his natural hair color.
Eventually, he made his way to the casket. It was a very ornate casket with lots of pretty patterns around the edge detailing it. He dragged his fingertips along the designs before making his way to the open part. He peered in and saw Eijirou’s face. He thought he had prepared himself for this moment, but reality proved him wrong. The tears stinging his eyes as he looked down at the face of the boy who he loved. The face of the boy who died protecting him. Tears fell from his eyes and the words he wanted to say to the boy caught in his throat.
He felt a hand on his back and when he turned around, he saw his mom standing there murmuring soothing things in an attempt to calm him down. He turned around completely and pulled her into a tight hug, burying his face in his mom’s hair due to their height difference.
“He’s gone, mom.”
“I know, baby. I know it’s hard.” She patted his head and helped move him away from the casket, and away from the majority of the crowd. At some point in this time Katsuki’s dad had joined the hug. Tears falling freely out of the young boy’s eyes.
He pulled himself together after a moment at the sound of one of Eijirou’s moms trying to get everyone’s attention. Getting their attention, she started her speech and went on to tell stories about her little boy, Eijirou’s other mom stepping in when her sobs made it too hard for her to speak anymore.
The stories they told ranged from when Eijirou was just a little boy all the way to high school and Yuuei. They told humorous stories, ones that got light chuckles from the crowd, but also more heartfelt ones. Ones that everyone really listened to and paid attention and struck a chord in many of them.
After they had finished, they called Katsuki up to speak. He looked to his parents before making his way up to where the deceased boy’s parents were standing moments before.
“Um, hi, everyone. I’m Bakugo Katsuki, I was a close friend of Eijirou’s,” he started. God, he felt so small with all these people looking at him. He felt so out of place. “I went to school with him at Yuuei. I tried writing a speech for this moment. I tried having something planned for what I was going to say when I got here, but nothing felt right. He’s just the most amazing guy you could imagine, and he was so selfless and put everyone before himself. It got him into some pretty bad situations sometimes, including the reason he’s lying here now.” Katsuki looked down at his feet after that last statement. There were some confused looks in the crowd (clearly, they hadn’t heard the full story behind his death), but he didn’t dare elaborate.
“He brought everyone together and in general lifted everyone’s mood. Even on days where you could tell he was feeling a little down it never stopped his positivity from radiating. I don’t typically do speeches like this, if you couldn’t tell, so I’m still not too sure what to say. Theres just so much to say about how amazing of a person, and a friend, and a classmate, and a hero, he was, that there's no way I could express it with words. If there was one thing, I would want everyone to know about him, is that he was the most giving person I know. He gave, and he gave, and he gave,” his voice was cracking, and he could feel the tears threatening to sting his eyes again, “and expected nothing in return, ever. He was really just the most amazing person ever and his life was cut way too short because I know he would have been an amazing hero.”
He wiped the tears, that were now streaming down his face, away and with a small nod, conveying that he was done, he moved back to where his parents were standing. After a few more people spoke, some being friends from middle school, other being other relatives, Eijirou’s casket was taken and transported into the hearse waiting outside the house. Everyone made their way out and to their cars and followed the hearse to the cemetery where Eijirou was to be put to rest.
When they got there the casket was transported to a spot that had been picked out. There was a 6-foot-deep hole in the ground where he was to be lowered into. It was underneath a big oak tree, and the branches provided a large amount of shade over where his grave was. They all watched as the casket was lowered into the ground, how Eijirou’s moms were the first to sprinkle dirt over top the casket, before people started to move the dirt back over top, covering him.
Katsuki was waiting for everyone to leave. He wanted a moment alone with Eijirou, a moment to just talk to him. Eijirou’s moms asked if he was ok, and when he explained they understood and let him be. Katsuki’s parents were waiting in the car. All the other students from his class (that had come) slowly started to leave, until finally he was by himself.
“Hey, um, I know you’re technically dead and all, but people talk to graves all the time, so here I am. That night, there was something I was planning on telling you. It was supposed to be just after patrols, after we got back to the dorms. I wanted to say it to you for a while, but I never got the chance so here I am now trying desperately to make up for it. Ei, I love you. I love you so much and I was going to ask you to that dance with me. I know, cheesy, but I like you so much. You were just so easy to talk to and we always hung out together, and I don’t know when it happened, but I caught feelings for you. Its dumb confessing them now considering your dead, and it’s a high chance you would have rejected me, but it would have been worth a shot.”
He kissed his fingertips before placing it to the gravestone. “It won’t ever be the same without you.” After a brief pause, he spoke up again, “I’m sorry you lost your life protecting me,” and he made his way to the car with his parents that were waiting for him.
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It was Eijirou’s birthday. What would have been his 28th, Katsuki found himself at the grave of the boy he had loved so much holding a small bouquet of flowers. He sat down next to the grave and started talking.
“Hey, it's been a while. Sorry I haven't visited in a couple of months. It's been pretty hectic with an increase in villain attacks, so I haven't really gotten time for myself. I made time today though, it only felt appropriate.” Katsuki looked down at the flowers he was clutching before moving on. “I never got over you, y’know? It's been 10 God damn years and I can't get over you. I think about you every day. No matter how hard I tried over the years, I could just never forget about you.” He paused a took a deep breath, the cold air filling his lungs. “Oh, I made it to number 1 for a short while. Last rankings I beat out Deku. He’s back above me now, but for a short time I was number 1.” He went quiet for a second trying to find what to say next. “I miss you, like a lot. Like a lot, a lot. I know I say that every time I come and visit, but it's because it’s true. I remember our late-night conversations about how we would team up when we became pros. You made the stupid name ‘Pop Rocks’ for us. God, we were such dorks, but that’s what I loved about you. About us. Shit- I wish I had more time to talk to you, but I was only able to get a small amount of time away, and I have to head back soon or else I’m gonna get yelled at. Bye, love ya.” He dropped the flowers in front of the grave and made his way back to the car. He took one last glance back at the grave before driving off.