Work Text:
Bakugou POV:
Breathe. “Shit.” Thick smoke fills my lungs and burns my nostrils as I stumble over pieces of glass. “Stupid smoke.” I keep mumbling to myself as I move through the turmoil.
Wait. Pause. I quickly stop in my tracks, senses on high alert. Whimpering. I hear what sounds like a child whimpering. My brain is on speed mode. Get to the kid. Get. The. Kid. Out. “WHERE ARE YOU?!” I scream at the top of my lungs, running frantically through the burning building.
“…. I- I’m o-over here…” I can faintly hear what sounds like a little girls response. I head in her direction with swift movements, but clearly not calculated enough as I hit a door frame. I hear the creaking before I see it. Just as the support beam comes crashing down I see the girl. We make eye contact and she bolts for me. “WAIT DON’T COME!!!!” I try to push her out of the way. I tried. I tried. I wasn’t fucking fast enough. My vision goes black and blurry. My hearing goes out as I use my quirk to break the support beam off of her. But it’s no use. I look down, seeing her laying there, panic stricken, and dead. “She’s dead?” I fall to my knees, shaking my head of the thoughts bubbling to the surface. Her hand is sticking out from the ruble, and I grab it. “I… What?”
Meanwhile:
Kirishima POV:
I wander through the house, lower level cleared of people. I hear Bakugou screaming for someone, and immediately I try to dash up the stairs. Then comes a deafening crash. “ BAKUGOU!!” I frantically try to climb the newly fallen ceiling, cutting myself in the process. “BAKUGOU!!” I can’t see through all this smoke, but I search anyways. There’s no way I’m leaving him. He’s not.. no he’s not… I can’t think of that right now. I find a door ajar and rush in. I stop at what I see. His ears are bleeding, and burns cross up and down his back. Tears stream down his face. Bakugou is hung over a… hand? Oh no… “Is that… is that the kid?” He doesn’t respond. “Kat?” I run to him and hug him. His eyes look clouded over, and he slowly raises his hand and snaps his fingers. He snaps them again. And again. And then his face goes blank. He slowly blinks and looks at me. “I can’t hear you Ei…”
…
It’s been three days since the fire. Kirishima had minimal damage, but Bakugou had first degree burns all across his back and is now partially deaf in both ears. He has received cochlear implants, and his hearing his relatively normal.
Bakugou POV:
No. Stop it. Smoke. Fire. Screams. Hands. Kid… “WHERE ARE YOU?!” I can’t breathe. Blackness. Slowly my vision comes back in and I see my mom. “Mom?” She stares at me, gets up, and slaps me. “You’re such a waste of breath and time. Do you understand that? You lie about your trauma. It’s not real. It never happened.” She shoves me down on to the ground. “I don’t abuse you. I don’t gaslight or manipulate you. How could I ever be proud of a suicidal disgrace for a kid?” I didn’t realize I was crying until she bends over and slaps me again. “Don’t cry. That’s pathetic.” She puts her hands over my eyes…… hands… and suddenly I’m back in the fire. I look down and… it’s the kid. I collapse and feel everything bubble up again. I feel hands around me and I look up to see Kirishima saying something. But I can’t hear it? I bring my hands up to my ears and snap. Nothing. Again. Nothing. “I can’t hear you Ei…”
…
“..i katsuki” “KASTUKI!”
I wake up suddenly to see Ei crying and holding me. “Ei?”
Kirishima POV:
“You were screaming and shaking and crying and I couldn’t wake you up…” I pull him in for a hug and whisper “I love you and I’m here for you, ok?”
“Ok” I mumble as I pull back. “You can hear me!” He blinks at me. “No shit dumbass why wouldn’t… wait… I can hear you!” I grab his face and pull until I feel his lips flush to mine, sucking his bottom lip. We pull apart eventually and I give him a kiss on the nose, trying to channel all my love for him in the small act. He wipes my tears and kisses my forehead back, and I can tell he’s telling me he loves me as well. I crawl to the spot next to him and pull the covers over us both. “Ok, you can sleep now, I’ll make sure you don’t get nightmares.”
Bakugou chuckles. “You’re pretty manly”. “I play with his hair and kiss the top of his hand. “Shh. Go to sleep Kat”.