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Izuku didn’t know what had happened to put him in this situation. He remembers Aizawa-sensei knocking on his door, and he vaguely remembers something about an emergency and needing a babysitter for Eri. He hears himself agreeing to watch her, yes he remembers that, but he doesn’t remember much more than that.
Now, he was standing in the kitchen teaching Eri how to make candy apples, her favorite treat. He doesn’t really mind though, Eri’s excited grin was much more preferable to the voices that were telling him those awful things.
He returned to the present when he hears Eri yelp in surprise. Before he can think, he has Eri in his arms shielding her from whatever startled her. After a moment, he pulls back and inspects Eri for injuries, relaxing when he spots none.
“Deku-nii, you’re hurt!”
He froze. Did she see his wrists? He normally wraps them but he didn’t have time for that after Aizawa-sensei dropped Eri off. He stops his muttering when Eri wriggles out of his arms and moves to look at his back.
It was then that he noticed the burn searing his shirt to his back. Eri must have dropped the pan of melted candy, which startled her and got him to shield her with his body.
Before he could comfort Eri, she darted out of the kitchen. Izuku was going to follow her but the sticky candy was starting to stick him to the floor. Just as he had gotten himself un-stuck, Eri darted back into the kitchen with Kacchan behind her.
“Eri, are you okay? You didn’t get burned right? What happened, did the pan fall off the stove? It wasn’t your fault Eri, I should have helped you if you were struggling, don’t worry. We can clean this up and go back to making the apples again, it’s okay-”
“Shut up Deku! Have you taken a look at your fu-, frickin back? You’re not doing anything until I get you cleaned up so stop being a moron and stay still!” Kacchan interrupted.
Izuku froze in shock. Kacchan…cared that he was hurt? He wanted to help treat his injuries? He must have zoned out because when he snapped back to the present Kacchan was grumbling under his breath while digging in one of the cabinets for the first-aid kit.
Eri knelt next to him and started to pat his head, probably trying to comfort him the same way he would comfort her after she had a nightmare. When Kacchan came back with the first aid kit, he made Izuku stand up and sit on a bar stool.
Then, Kacchan started to pull off Izuku’s shirt. When he realized what he was doing he jerked away from him, falling on the floor as he frantically pulled his shirt back down. That was the wrong thing to do apparently, because Kacchan blew up.
“Stay still you stupid nerd! I can’t treat the burn with you squirming like a rat!” Izuku stayed frozen on the ground for a moment before standing back up. He slowly sat back on the stool, clenching his hands and squeezing his eyes shut. He was not ready for anyone to find out, but it seemed he didn’t have a choice.
He flinched when Kacchan started to pull his shirt off again but stayed still, silently praying that Kacchan would just ignore the cuts and scars and go back to hating him after the burn was fixed.
He knew that wouldn’t happen, but he prayed anyway.
Slowly, his shirt came off, pulling burned skin and sticky candy off with it. He winced at the gasp his former friend made before turning to face him. Then, Izuku saw something he never thought he would see.
Kacchan was crying. His eyes betrayed his emotions, and Izuku saw a bone-deep sorrow and, more surprisingly, grief in his vermillion gaze. He stared in shock, not knowing what to do. It turns out he didn’t have to do anything, because in an instant Kacchan was hugging him gently, careful to avoid bothering any of his injuries as he held on to him.
“Kacchan…?”
His voice seemed to stir him awake, and he looked up into Izuku’s eyes with a heartbroken expression on his face. “I’m so sorry Izu, I never meant to hurt you like this.”
He cupped Izuku’s face in his palms and cradled it gently. Before either of them could think they were both leaning in. When their lips met, he felt fireworks exploding in his chest, and his lips felt like they were on fire.
When he pulled back, his gaze locked on Kacchan. He held him gently and rocked him as they both processed what just happened.
“Izu, please promise me you won’t do this again, please?” His voice cracked, and he sounded desperate. He couldn’t help but nod, promising something he wasn’t sure he could promise.
But then Kacchan relaxed, and his relief was so prominent that Izuku couldn’t regret his decision even if he wanted to. Not when it made his Kacchan so happy. Kacchan then stood up and got to work treating his injuries, all of them.
After he was finished, they remembered Eri was in the room, and turned to her. She was really sad that her hero was so hurt, but she was happy that his friend helped him feel better. If she let slip what happened to Aizawa later, no one but him, Hound Dog, Nezu, and their parents had to know.
~~~The End~~~