#sorry this is going to be annoying in the promare tag but like . i dont want someone who hasn't seen promare yet to get spoiled by this au

[timetoboldlygo]

got very inspired so here’s a bit of my kiribaku promare au!! also listen to THIS while reading:

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Eijirou buried his face in his hands. “It’s Crimson Riot,” he said. The words crawled out of his throat, quiet and horrible, like fat bugs creeping over his bottom lip. Tears pulled at the corner of his eyes. “The speech. It changed my life.”

Katsuki blinked at him, eyelashes sweeping shadows across the pink glow on his cheeks. “And All for One killed him,” he realized, more gently than Eijirou would have been able to imagine he was capable of. But then, this was a boy who had been crying with rage and fury and brokenheartedness, ready to level a city for his family. Katsuki felt things deep in his soul, scars and bruises must cover the whole thing and only his flame could heal it. Eijirou could understand that a little bit. “Hey, come on. Get up.” His free hand, the one with no flames, reached out, burning fingers trailing along his shoulder, down his arm, until it reached his elbow.

Eijirou shook his head as Katsuki bodily lifted him up the ground. “He stole that speech,” he choked out, pressing a hand against his traitorous heart. He wished he could be cool about this, manly, but his heart was breaking into pieces. “He said it at - at some ceremony, he was being awarded a medal. He said that when he saved my life he’d been scared. Scared! That speech was everything to me, I - I  - it made me not a coward!” He’d had the speech on his phone, playing it over and over on his commute to work some days, All For One’s smooth voice over and over in his ear, like he was saying it just to Eijirou, the words chosen for him. To not live without regrets. To be a hero. To save people. He’d never have joined Burning Rescue without that, he have been too scared.

“Hey,” Katsuki said, but it sounded far away, distant, like Eijirou was hearing the words through water, drowning. 

Stupidly, he thought the speech had sounded a lot better in Crimson Riot’s rumble, like the words were worn and scraped over dirt and gravel, like they were said in a moment of passion, no pretense. He hadn’t cleaned up that speech at all, he’d wanted to say it the way he truly was. Strong, chivalrous, representing hope. All For One had always been too slick for his own good, oily. Eijirou should have noticed that. “He stole it,” Eijirou said, voice very quiet. “He fucking stole it from Crimson Riot. He was never a hero! He lied and I bought into it, like a fucking idiot and like a fucking coward!” His voice rang out shrilly, sputtering the flame in Katsuki’s hand a little bit.

“Hey,” Katsuki said into the silence, pushing his flame stronger. “Look, I don’t - it’s whatever, about All For One. Just because he stole it, it doesn’t mean Crimson didn’t read it.” He slammed a hand on one of the buttons on the console. Above them, Crimson Riot’s gravelly speech repeated.

Of course I get scared, he said. Deep voice. The voice of a hero. Ain’t no one out there who faces death without fear. All For One had cleaned the speech up. Removed the slang, tweaked it so that it was overly pretentious, no slang or heart to it at all.

“Turn it off.”

“No!” Katsuki grabbed him by his collar, pulling him so close that all Eijirou could see was pink flame and its reflection in Katsuki’s red eyes, hypnotizing. Something close to godly, maybe, and it stole Eijirou’s breath to have all that attention on him. “No, you fucking listen to it! Let that be your new meaning. Who cares if All For One stole it? You’re the one who heard it and wanted to do better! You aren’t a fucking coward, he didn’t make you stronger! You did that!”

Eijirou gaped at him. Katsuki had that same look on his face as he had the first time Eijirou had ever laid eyes on him, calculating, burning red eyes, so intently focused on nothing but Eijirou himself. Crimson Riot’s voice raised to a shout, echoing around the room. A strong spirit! It ain’t about confidence, or being fearless! None of that! I’m a hero, so I protect people! It’s about living without regret!

“You fucking hear that,” Katsuki yelled, so angry flames were crawling up his throat, Eijirou could see them smoldering behind his teeth when he opened his mouth. “You’re a hero so you protect people! Give it your fucking all!” He dropped Eijirou, who rocked back and collapsed on the floor, palms stinging as they hit the floor. The video and audio cut off with a bzzt, leaving Katsuki’s alien light as the only flame, leaving Katsuki bathed in blue the only thing Eijirou could see. “Don’t fucking live with regret. Don’t let All For One make you.”

Eijirou brushed at his eyes. Crying, of course. “Thanks,” he said quietly, then louder. “Thanks!” Louder, until he was screaming, needing to get it all out. he wasn’t quiet or a coward, he was Kirishima Eijirou, Burning Rescue member, hero. A fucking hero. So he drew breath and yelled so loudly his own ears rang. “Thank you, Bakugou Katsuki!”

“Shuddup,” Katsuki mumbled, and suddenly he wasn’t the leader of the Mad Burnish, he was just a boy holding up a torch in a dark room. “It isn’t a big deal.”

“It is to me,” Eijirou said, grabbing his hand. “Katsuki. Really, thank you.”