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Everything was black.
Eijirou was swimming in black, all the red hues of himself vanishing, just like the image of strength he projected.
The Kirishima that everyone knew was strong, and smiley, and wouldn't hesitate to help someone. But the real Eijirou broke easily. Cracks formed in the beaten wall that he was every time someone said anything negative about him, from random people on the street to teachers trying to give constructive criticism to himself.
The Kirishima everyone knew had broken away, the unbreakable wall shattering to reveal the real Eijirou.
He had broken.
He wasn't good enough.
Fat Gum had almost died.
Every time Eijirou tried to save someone, he never could.
His failures would always hold him back, grabbing on to him and never letting go. The failures had hands, they were rough, and it hurt his skin when they were holding on to him while tears formed at his eyes.
Another hand started coming towards his, from above the black, and red started to pour back in. He knew this hand was different, Eijirou could recognize this hand anywhere, the hand that wouldn't hesitate to grab on to his. He grabbed on, as tight as he could, trusting the hand to pull him out from this abyss.
"Kirishima!!"
Eijirou's eyelids fluttered open. He felt bandages all around his body, and he could hear the EKG beeping in the background in time with his heartbeats. He looked towards his hands, where he knew he felt someone holding them, but they were also wrapped up in casts.
"Why the hell weren't you up earlier?"
Eijirou felt like he couldn't respond to the familiar voice that was yelling at him, the same way it always did, without any malice or harmful intentions. But this time, worry cracked through the voice. Eijirou tried to direct his gaze towards the figure, but his eyesight was fuzzy. Even so, he knew who it was.
"I was so fucking scared, dammit!!"
"B-b'kugou..."
Eijirou could tell that Bakugou's harsh glare was softening.
"Ugh, you probably can't talk in that, can ya? But you gotta promise me, the second you're out of all this medical shit, you tell me everything that happened."
Eijirou tried to move his mouth, and make words, but none would come out. They just stayed as thoughts in his head, making it hard to process anything at all. There was one thing, though, that Eijirou just had to say, even if he knew it may not be true, even if he knew that he had stayed strong.
"I..."
Bakugou tilted his head ever so slightly.
"I- I broke."
It was a struggle for Eijirou to get the words out, but he did.
Bakugou started to gently rub the cast over Eijirou's left hand. Eijirou could feel each vibration through the heavy bandages. Even though it wasn't direct touch, it felt comforting.
"You're still here, right? That means, even if some fuckmunch managed to get past your quirk, your spirit stood strong."
Bakugou seemed to know what was on Eijirou's mind, all the unspoken thoughts he had.
"And just remember," Bakugou started, tensing up, "that you were strong enough to save me."
There was something between the two of them, Eijirou knew, that communicated more than they could probably make into words. Eijirou wanted to hug Bakugou, and cry, and talk about everything that happened. And Eijirou knew, that just this one time, Bakugou would be calm, and direct, and comfort him, instead of yelling per usual. Bakugou was still rubbing the cast, careful not to apply too much pressure to it.
After a while, Bakugou finally said something else.
"Thank you," he said, voice cracking. "Thank you, for everything, for putting up with me, for being there for me. Just, thank you."
Tears fell from Eijirou's eyes. He was unable to say anything, so he tried to communicate everything he could with his gaze.
Bakugou's bottom lip was trembling as he looked in to Eijirou's eyes. Eijirou could see all the love and care in there, that Bakugou wasn't worrying about hiding right now. He looked like he was about to cry.
"Just hang in there," he said, his voice shaking, "hang in there, just a little bit longer."
Eijirou nodded. He wanted to just grab Bakugou's hand, hold on as tight as he could.
Bakugou hugged Eijirou's arm in the cast, carefully wrapping both of the limbs around it.
"I love you," he said, in a quiet voice. "Just, please... I can't tell you not to get hurt, because that's gonna happen since we're gonna be heroes. So I just want you to know that."
Eijirou opened his mouth again, trying his best to get the syllables to come out as clear and concise as possible: "I love you too."
For a while, they just sat like that, content to be close to each other, a layer of plaster separating their hands.
The days after that, they wouldn't talk about this, but they would hug each other and hold hands every chance they could when no one was looking.