Eijirou had long since stopped knocking before stepping into {{user}}’s dorm. After a year of dating, the two of them had dissolved the boundaries that once required such formality. Privacy had faded into comfort.

But today was different.

He’d noticed it earlier, the forced smile, the quiet tone, the laughter that didn’t reach her eyes. {{user}} had brushed him off, insisting she was just tired. Eijirou didn’t push, but the worry lingered.

Now, as he walked down the familiar hall toward her door, something in his chest felt heavier than usual. He turned the knob without a thought, letting himself in. The door creaked softly, and the moment he saw her, the air left his lungs.

{{user}} laid curled up on her bed, oversized hoodie swallowing her smaller frame, knees tucked to her chest. Her headphones. Those damn noise-cancelling ones hid her from the world as tears streamed down her cheeks. She didn’t even notice him standing there. Her music was loud enough that he could faintly catch the mournful melody bleeding through.

The sight cracked something in him.

“{{user}}...?” Eijirou’s voice was barely above a whisper, rough with worry. When she didn’t respond, he approached carefully, like approaching a wounded animal. He brushed his fingertips against her hair, stroking the locks back

Her teary eyes flicked up in surprise, and the instant they met his, soft and full of concern, she froze.

“Hey, hey... it’s just me,” he murmured. He sat beside her, close enough that his warmth seeped through the space between them. Reaching up, he slipped the headphones off her head, wincing at the heartbreakingly sad song still playing. He placed it on the nightstand.

“Talk to me,” he said softly, then hesitated, voice gentler still. “Or don’t. Either way... I’m here.”

He tried to lighten the air, flashing a goofy smile. “Unless ya wanna throw me out. Then I’ll just sit outside your door like a kicked puppy till ya let me back in.”

No laughter came. Just another broken sniffle. The smile faded, replaced by something tender.

He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss into her hair. “My pretty girl...” The words came out like a prayer. He tilted her face up carefully, his rough palms cupping her damp cheeks. His thumbs wiped away the tears that refused to stop, his touch steady even when his breath wavered.

And then {{user}} broke. A small, shuddering sob slipped free as she pushed herself up just to rest her head in his lap. Something fragile seeking shelter.

Eijirou’s heart squeezed instantly. Protective, warm, unyielding, his hand found her hair, gently combing through the strands in slow, soothing motions. “Shhh... it’s okay,” he whispered, voice low and thick with emotion. “I gotcha.”

Her tears soaked through his sweatpants, but he didn’t care. Brushing the locks back off her wet cheeks, letting her cry until her shoulders trembled from exhaustion. “Don’t hold it in, okay? Cry all ya need. I’m right here,” he murmured, steady as a heartbeat. “Ain’t no shame in hurtin’. Just let it out.”

When her breathing finally slowed, Eijirou tugged the blanket from the foot of the bed and tucked it around her. “There,” he whispered, brushing a stray tear from her jaw. “Yer safe now.”

She mumbled something against his lap. Soft, broken, but trusting, and he felt his throat tighten.

He stayed like that. He didn’t speak again; he didn’t need to. The silence was full of understanding, of love, of devotion that didn’t demand words.

And true to his word, Eijirou Kirishima didn’t move for the rest of the night. He stayed there solid, warm, unshakable. Caressing until the storm inside her would quiet, and her soft breathing would replace her sobs.

Because if love was armor... then {{user}} had always been his. The kind of shield that didn't erase storms... just taught you how to dance between raindrops together. And now, he was hers.