『 the last chapter ended a little abruptly due to me not knowing where to go from there. i did a twitter poll and they decided kirishima's next actions. this is picking up immediately where last chapter's conversation left off 』
image cred: litriu
Eijirou frowned, holding Denki in his lap, "Denki, how are you feeling right now?" He needed to understand what was going on in Denki's mind. Until he knew Denki was at least okay, or not feeling worse, he wouldn't be able to focus on anything else.
Denki looked down, "Fine, I guess. I just really want to get through today."
Eijirou paused, struggling to figure out the best way to handle the situation. He genuinely didn't know what to do.
"Eiji? What's wrong?"
"Everything."
"What? Do you mean..." Denki's eyes flicked toward the scrapbook.
"Yes, but it's more than that," Eijirou sighed, "I'm just worried about you. I know you can't be okay right now. There's no way you're truly fine."
Denki frowned, "Well, I'm not doing as well as I could be. I think I'm managing okay, considering."
"You don't have to hide it, Denki," Eijirou tightened his hold around him, "It's okay to cry if you want to."
"Why would I want to cry?"
"Let me rephrase that. You can cry if you need to."
"No," Denki shook his head, "I have to be stronger. I can't keep crying."
"This situation is sensitive," Eijirou kissed the top of his head, "It's okay to cry over this. Please, don't bottle it up."
Eijirou was willing to let Denki push the memories aside temporarily, but he knew that ignoring his emotions entirely could lead to an explosion later.
Denki shook his head again, "We have to get ready for school."
"Screw school, you're more important."
"Aizawa will get angry—"
"Screw Aizawa too. I don't care about him right now; I don't care about school either. I care about you!" Eijirou's frustration was rising, so he took a deep breath to calm himself.
Denki sighed, feeling guilty for causing Eijirou so much concern, "Eiji," he kissed him softly, "I'll be fine for one day. Can we at least give it one day? Please?" He smiled, trying to offer Eijirou some reassurance.
Eijirou closed his eyes, battling his protective instincts, "Okay. One day."
Denki placed his hands on Eijirou's face, "Look at me, Eiji."
Eijirou met Denki's gaze.
Denki stroked Eijirou's cheek with his thumb, "I'm okay."
Eijirou placed his hands over Denki's, "I should be the one comforting you right now."
"This affects you too. It's okay for you to be upset," Denki kissed him again, "Let me take care of you as you do for me."
Eijirou sighed. His instinct to protect sometimes made him forget that Denki was just as strong as he was, and relationships went both ways. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" Denki frowned, "You haven't done anything."
"I treat you like you can't take care of yourself sometimes. I don't always see your strength, but you're incredibly strong. I let my need to protect blind me."
Denki smiled again, "It's okay. I actually think it's cute. And protectiveness is an admirable trait for a hero."
"It's unfair to you," Eijirou looked down, holding Denki's hands.
Denki chuckled a bit, "Eiji, it's okay. I love knowing you'll always be there for me when I need you. It's one of my favorite things about you."
Eijirou looked back up at him, "I still feel bad about it."
Denki leaned in for another kiss, "If you feel so bad, then you can make it up to me by letting me take care of you once in a while. Deal?"
Eijirou smiled, "Okay, deal."
"Thank you," Denki kissed him again, something that always made him feel better, "Can we get ready for school now? Please?"
"Yes, we can get ready for school." Eijirou kissed Denki back, feeling better too.
Denki grabbed Eijirou's face, refusing to stop. Eijirou laughed, only able to pull away slightly, "Weren't you the one asking to get ready?"
"Last kiss." Denki connected their lips again, knowing he wouldn't be able to kiss him again until later that night.
Eijirou indulged him for a bit before gently pulling away, "Baby, I love you, but we have to get ready. I'll kiss you as much as you want later."
Denki pouted, even though making out wasn't something they did often, he wanted to do it more than anything right now, "Okay."
Eijirou chuckled, "I'll let you help with my hair after you get dressed."
"Really?!" Denki perked up, his love for messing with Eijirou's hair evident in his excitement.
Eijirou nodded, "Mhm, now go get dressed."
"Okay!" Denki dashed to his closet, beaming.
Eijirou watched him for a moment, smiling. For that fleeting moment, everything felt right. It felt okay. But deep down, he knew it wouldn't last long.
Denki wasn't truly okay, and neither was Eijirou. They both were pushing their feelings aside. It wouldn't be long before one of them would crack. But for now, they continued getting ready, exchanging smiles and small kisses, pretending everything was okay.