Eijiro stared at the tile floor, the light from the fluorescents on the ceiling shining off the polished white surface. Despite only being early evening, the halls of the hospital were barren. There were no visitors or doctors walking past, and all the nurses were at their station further down the corridor. He leaned against the wall, the heaviness of his body finally getting to him, as the phone continued to ring against his ear. It only seemed to emphasize the stale silence around him.

Finally, the sound of the call being picked up. "You've reached the electrifying and badass Chargebolt! Please save your love and compliments for the end of the call!"

"Kaminari…" Ei sighed heavily, the cheerfulness in his friend's voice actually making the weight in his chest worse. "I'm really not in the mood for that right now."

Hearing the other man's tone, Denki's next greeting was a lot more softer and serious. "Hey, man. What's up?"

"Do either you or Jiro work tomorrow?"

"Uh, no, I'll be off. Kyoka's helping Yaomomo over at U.A. though."

That's right. It was exam season. "Listen, I'm so sorry I have to ask this, but can you take the train over here and cover my duties tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I guess…" His answer was hesitant, concern lacing his words, and Eijiro knew what question was coming next. "Why? You hurt? Something happen to Bakugo?"

"No. It's just…" Kirishima gripped his phone a bit harder. Damn it, the fact that he even had to say this ripped at his heart, not even counting the images that kept flashing in his mind. Him and Katsuki weren't hurt, but something had happened, and he would take the worst injuries over it anyday. He squeezed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath, pushing down his emotions for the billionth time. "Kiko was shot."

There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line for a moment. "Holy shit. What happened? Is she gonna be okay?"

"I don't really want to get into the details right now." He just wanted to stop thinking about it for one second. "It was basically point blank. She lost…" That red pool flashed in his mind. "A lot of blood. She's had, like, two transfusions, and they had to take out one of her kidneys, but…" He sighed. The one thing that kept him breathing. "The doctors are saying she'll be fine. She's just gonna be asleep for awhile."

"Thank God." Denki let out a heavy breath. Being a father himself, his sympathy and parental worry were noticeable from the other side of the phone. Not to mention he was practically an uncle to Kiko. Hell, their whole class from U.A. was like family, even twenty years after they'd graduated, so everyone was like an aunt or uncle to each other's children. Both men were quiet for a few seconds, before Kaminari asked just as relevant a question. "What about you two? You okay?"

An involuntary, humorless chuckle escaped Ei's lips. All the fear and shock were still so fresh in his bones, he was on an anxiety-ridden high. He thought about Katsuki's horrified expression when Kiko had lost consciousness and the fact that his husband had barely spoken a word since then. His chest tightening, he couldn't hide the slight crack that snuck in his words. "Better than we could be, I guess. She's gonna be okay, but…" Damn it, he couldn't cry. He wouldn't be able to come back if he did. "God, I thought we'd lost her…"

"But, hey, you didn't." Denki pointed out softly, comforting his friend. "You said it yourself: she's going to be okay. Everything's gonna turn out fine." He let out a heavy sigh once more. "Listen, I can cover for you, no problem. I'll get there at the crack of dawn if I have to."

A tiny smile managed to appear on Kirishima's face at his friend's support. "You won't have to, but I appreciate it. Thanks."

"Hey, what else am I here for?" He could hear the slight levity in Kaminari's words too, probably glad he could lift his spirits just a little. "I'm glad she'll be alright. Is it okay if I spread the word? I know everybody would want to know. Kokone will probably kill me if I don't tell her, anyway."

"Sure, go for it. Just...tell them to hold off messages and stuff until tomorrow. We're just...really tired."

"Yeah, I getcha."

"Wait on telling Kotone and the kids too, alright? At least until their finals are over. They need to have clear heads for that." It was given that all of their children were friends, so of course they'd want to know about Kiko's condition. Still, some of them were in U.A.'s Hero Course, including Kaminari and Jiro's daughter, and if the final exams were anything like when their parents were in school, then it was best they not have any distractions.

Denki let out his own dead chuckle. "Perfect timing, right?"

The small bit of levity was gone now, the mood having turned somber again. Sighing, Ei replied, "Yeah, but I guess that's nothing new."

"Don't worry about tomorrow, okay? I'll be there. We'll try to visit too."

"Thanks, man. It really means a lot."

"Don't mention it...Catch you later."

"Yeah...Bye."

For a few seconds after hanging up, Kirishima just stood there, collecting his thoughts and emotions once more. Then, when it seemed like he was ready, he opened the door and walked back into Kiko's room. There was nothing special about it, save the patient lying in the bed. Besides the oxygen mask and the IVs hooked to her arm, his daughter merely looked like she was sleeping, but the sight of her made his heart ache unbearably. Katsuki was in the same place he'd left him too, sitting in a chair opposite the bed, his unreadable gaze shifting between the floor and the girl in bed. They'd only been allowed to see her about thirty minutes ago, since she'd recently gotten out of the trauma unit and surgery, and in that time neither of them had said a thing to each other. It seemed the two of them were at a loss. Still, blank-faced as he tried to look, Ei had a pretty good guess as to what his partner was thinking. He'd only seen that kind of stoic expression on him once or twice before, particularly in their first year of high school after a certain incident in Camino Ward…

Pursing his lips, Eijiro sat in the chair next to him, gently reaching to turn his face toward him. "Katsuki…"

He'd only barely brushed his cheek before his husband roughly tugged his head away, never taking his eyes from the floor. Kirishima could see the frustration beginning to crack through his glare, which only further confirmed his suspicions.

Shoulders heavy with sadness, he leaned over so the blonde could at least see him in his periphery. "Hey, she's gonna be okay. I know what you're thinking, but this isn't your -"

Bakugo abruptly stood up, whirling around to look at his husband with a newly lit fire in his eyes. "Our daughter is here right now because I couldn't do my goddamn job, and somehow this isn't my fault!? How does that make any goddamn sense!?"

Ei stared at him in shock for a second or two. He'd prepared himself for a possible outburst, but definitely not this early. Speaking as calmly as possible, he assured, "Katsuki, no one blames you for this. Me, Kiko - we would never -"

"That's what's pissing me off! Why the hell aren't you mad at me!? You saw her! She ended up like that because I wasn't paying attention!"

"You were taking down their boss, and the bastard took advantage of that." Kirishima was standing now, feeling his own anger beginning to bubble up - at the bastard in question, at his partner for placing everything on himself again, at his own uselessness. He'd been holding it back, but this was not helping his struggle. He could feel his voice gradually rising too. "He's the one who did this to her. You're only human. You can't expect to do everything by yourself and -"

"I'm the number two hero, damn it! If I can't -"

Oh, hell no.

"DON'T start with that crap, Katsuki!

"It's my job to stop villains and protect people and I didn't! I couldn't protect my own daughter - your daughter! She could have died in your arms today because I wasn't strong enough! Because I'm never freakin' strong enough and I NEVER LEARN MY GODDAMN LESSON! So quit looking at me like I'm some victim and...and punch me, beat the shit out of me, do something!"

It was amazing how his words were breaking Ei's heart while simultaneously pissing him off. The fact that he thought he would do that - that he wanted him to do that...

"That's not happening, you idiot!"

"Why!?"

"Because I love you, and she's your daughter too!"

"That doesn't mean that this isn't my fault!"

"Fine! If it's your fault, then it's mine too!"

"What the hell are you talking about!?"
Maybe it was because he wanted to shake some sense into his husband, or maybe he was actually getting frustrated enough to punch him in the face, but Kirishima roughly grabbed Bakugo's collar with an iron grip and pulled his face close, glaring daggers into his eyes. "That's why I married you, you dumbass! So you wouldn't have to fight alone anymore!"

Katsuki was squeezing his partner's wrist so hard that his hand was shaking, and his eyes were as fierce as ever, reaching right into his soul. Still, Ei could see his expression soften, that last statement having gotten through to him, at least a little bit. Releasing his grip somewhat and lowering his voice significantly, the redhead continued, "Ever since we met, I've always been so proud when you let me stand beside you. Being with you, fighting alongside you, facing every challenge together - it's always made me...so happy. You've always been strong, Katsuki - the strongest man I've ever met in every way - and when we got together I told you that whatever minimal strength you didn't have, I'd give to you. Any weaknesses you had, I'd make up for."

God damn it, he couldn't take it anymore. The pain, the guilt, the sadness, the anger, the relief, the day's events, last night's events - everything he'd been pushing down was beginning to bubble up. Letting go of Bakugo's collar, he threw his arms around the blonde's neck, pulling him into a tight hug. Not only did he want to hide the tears beginning to cloud his eyes, but he just desperately wanted to hold him right now to assure the both of them that everything was going to be alright. "We failed today. We couldn't protect her, and that's going to be with us for the rest of our lives. But she's still here, and we still have each other, so we just have to grow stronger, and if we can't, we'll just combine our strength. Like we always have."

Katsuki was completely still for the next ten seconds, totally silent until Ei finally heard him release a shaky breath. His body began to tremble as he slowly reached his arms around his husband's torso, completing their hug. "Damn it…"

Eijiro's heart clenched at the crack in his voice. Bakugo's grip around him tightened, burying his face in his neck as his breath began to hitch in quiet sobs. "God damn it…"

Oh. There was no stopping the waterworks now. Kirishima's partner had grown far more comfortable displaying his emotions in front of him in the time they'd been together, but it was still a true rarity to have him cry. Tears beginning to stream down his own face, Ei cradled his husband's head against him, pressing a kiss into his hair. This only caused Katsuki's hold around him to tighten, his hands now gripping the back of his shirt as he let everything out.

"I didn't say it back," he gasped, his hot tears beginning to soak the redhead's shoulder. "I never say it back. I'm such an idiot. I've been so pathetic…"

Kirishima kissed his temple, his face scrunched as he recalled his own feelings of inadequacy. They would move past this. They couldn't change it, but they could learn from it and use it to be better, to be stronger. For now, though, the guilt, the sorrow, the fear, the love, everything they were feeling - they could acknowledge it, and then let it go. "I should have called her first this morning. I should have told her to come home."

"I shouldn't have let her help me."

"I could have picked her up last night."

"I didn't even hear it, Ei. She could have called for me, and I didn't hear her…"

"That guy...I let him get away. If he hadn't gone up there, then…"

"God damn it, we could have gotten there faster."

"You're right…"

For the next couple of minutes, they just stood there, taking in each other's embrace. For whatever reason, it was times like these - when they would hold one another - that Eijiro would think back to how they were in highschool. In their first year, before he realized he had an obvious crush on his best friend, he would have thought the idea of Bakugo hugging anyone was something of legend. After they'd gotten together though, he'd discovered quickly that his boyfriend displayed his affection more physically than verbally - head pats, hand holding, cuddling in bed, kissing. This made perfect sense, given that the blonde had never been good at communicating his feelings very well. It was a long while before they even started showing that affection in public, not because they were actively hiding it, but because they simply enjoyed the privacy of it. Well, Katsuki had said he didn't want to deal with "those extras making dumbass comments," but Eijiro couldn't help but feel special at being the only one to see that side of him. So much had changed since then, and yet nothing was different at all.

Bakugo slowly lifted his head from Kirishima's shoulder, pulling back from their hug a little bit to observe his face. His expression was back to being thoughtful and held a determined kind of stoicism. As if they were momentarily on the same wavelength, the two met in the middle for a gentle kiss. Ei had to admit that - while he loved his husband's explosiveness and, for lack of a better term, rough demeanor - it was always his light, tender kisses that gave him shivers.

Pulling away, Katsuki now had a determined glint in his eyes. Some of the bravado back in his voice, he declared, "I'm never gonna feel like this again."

I'm never going to fail her again.

Eijiro nodded in agreement, managing a small smile. The two of them glanced over at their daughter, still lying peacefully in her hospital bed. He desperately wanted her to open their eyes right now, so they could talk and apologize and see her smile again. Still, he knew they would still have to wait a bit. For her, though, it would be worth it.

"We're gonna make this right."

One more chapter to go (if I planned this right)! Woo!

Also, I really have a thing for Kirishima grabbing Bakugo's collar in a fight, don't I? (See my other MHA fic: Just Breathe)

I hope you're enjoying the story! PLEASE LEAVE ME A REVIEW to let me know what you think! I love all of the feedback! Also, feel free to like this story and/or me, and check out my other stories as well!

I hope you are staying happy, healthy, and safe! Have a wonderful day!