Chapter Text
Shouto woke up on an early Sunday morning feeling refreshed. Lately he has been getting more and more restful nights ever since discussing nightmares with Denki.
Admittedly, the boy had forgotten what a good night’s sleep felt like and the conversation has allowed Shouto to feel grateful for actually good shut-eye.
Crawling out of his futon and folding the blankets, Shouto put everything into the closet for storage as per his morning routine. Brushing his teeth and getting changed, the boy found himself leaving the 1-A dorms earlier than he usually does for his morning jog. So early, that the sky was still dark, the suns rays absent the celestial dome.
When reflecting upon it, it seems that sleeping restfully has also influenced how active he is in the mornings. Who knew resting can affect his routine in such a way.
Shouto finds himself reflecting on his ‘trauma dumping’ as Denki calls it, as he breezes through the U-A campus.
In all honesty, the boy still isn’t exactly sure what trauma dumping was. As the blonde had continuously gone back and forth assuring Shouto that…whatever he was doing wasn’t invasive or something while also talking about how whatever he was doing was simultaneously ‘low-key toxic sometimes’.
Shouto also remembers Denki looking at him and sighing before saying ‘it’s like when you’re at a Chuck-E-Cheese and a kid you don’t know casually tells you about how his dad is cheating on his mom or something, y’know?’
Shouto had decided just to nod without fully understanding instead to hopefully end the conversation so they could continue watching the speculatory true crime video that had been paused on Denki’s computer.
The boy took a turn, looping back to the first-year dorms. The cool morning air was refreshing when brushing against his face. Relaxing, Shouto’s mind continued to wander.
As per Denki’s advice once again, Shouto told Midoriya and his friends about his nightmares and was met with overwhelming support. Uraraka had shared her favorite lemon tea brand with the boy, assuring him that it was usually sold at a bargain in the nearby grocers. In his opinion, Shouto could just use the old man’s card to buy any tea at any outrageous price but he kept that to himself. Iida had later sent a document filled with articles about good night’s sleep that Shouto took an all nighter to read through. Midoriya had offered words of support, before congratulating the boy for making friends.
Shouto had thought the last one was slightly unnecessary, with Midoriya’s praises sometimes sounding like a backhanded compliment. Sometimes the boy wasn’t even sure if it was unintentional.
Regardless, upon Shouto’s reflection the boy has realized that Denki’s advice often seems pivotal and immensely helpful for Shouto’s concerns. Upon the blonde’s support, the other has managed to catch up on classwork and strengthened the bonds he has with his own friendship group.
Nightmares still come and go, but the important thing – at least Shouto thinks it is – is that those bad memories and emotions no longer cling onto the scarred boy in the fashion that they had remained just a few weeks ago.
The boy slows his pace upon reaching the UA dorm entrance, reaching a leisurely stride. Taking the time to catch his breath, the front doors of the building bursts open with a loud bang.
Heterochromatic eyes rise up, making eye contact with fiery red ones. Bakugou stands at the door, clothed in an sports jersey with his eyebrows slightly drawn up in a reserved shock.
“Never seen you out so early, Icyhot.” Bakugou states in a gruff voice. He shoves a hand into the pocket on his sweatpants, a blonde eyebrow raising at the other.
Shouto nods. “I’ve already finished my run. If you had planned to run with me, I apologize.”
The blonde abrupty turns to the other. “Don’t act like I ever wanted to run with you, Half and Half.” He growls.
Keeping a deadpan expression on his face, Shouto simply nods as a response. It seems that this was the wrong answer as well, as the Bakugou continued to display the characteristic scowl on his face.
Red eyes narrowed, until quickly turning away from the other. “Seems Dunce Face is doing some good on ‘ya.”
“Dunce Face…?” Shouto responds, tilting his head to the side in confusion.
Bakugou yells some insult while leaving to jog on his own morning run. Shouto decides to simply ignore whatever comment the angry boy was trying to say. Turning towards the front door, the boy went directly to the kitchen and poured a glass of water for himself.
The cool water gliding down Shouto’s throat is refreshing, relaxing tired lungs from their earlier exertion. Putting the now empty glass down, Shouto sighs in content. Admittedly the boy does also long for a filling breakfast, but ever since the boy had set the kitchen on fire one month after initially moving in the dorms, Shouto is banned from cooking in the dorm. No stove, no oven, the boy was apparently unable to make anything for the safety of himself and those around him.
Shouto is snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing the elevator door open. Slowly exiting the metal doors, familiar blonde hair comes into sight. Despite it being a weekend, Denki was awake surprisingly early. But his tiredness is apparent, judging by the blonde’s half-lidded gaze and swaying movements.
Blonde eyes look up to meet heterochromatic eyes, and the other seems to register Shouto standing in the kitchen.
“Wassup, dude!” Denki smiles, rubbing his eyes awake.
Shouto nods. “Nothing much, dude. Are you here to eat breakfast?”
Yawning, the blonde nods. “Yeah, woke up super early for some reason and was hungry. Was gonna make some eggs.”
“Can I have some.” Shouto perks up, hopeful to get some actual food in his body.
Gold eyes narrow. “Can’t you make your ow– oh right. Banned.”
Shouto nods. “Just eat cereal or something.” Denki groans, walking to stand next to the boy.
“I don’t want cereal.”
“Sounds like a you problem.” A clang from Denki pulling out a frying pan.
“I want eggs.”
“Since when were you so picky?” The blonde turns to the fridge.
“Since I didn’t want cereal.”
“It’s literal sugar, what’s the problem?!”
“That is the problem.” Shouto pouts as Denki carefully pulls out a carton of eggs.
Denki groans, setting the eggs on the counter. Shouto stares at the blonde, trying those ‘puppy-dog-eyes’ that he has heard of before.
The other simply raises an eyebrow in confusion. “Dude, what are you doing.”
“Trying to convince you to be a good friend and make me eggs.” Shouto says defiantly.
“Isn’t that manipulative?”
“Isn’t it perhaps time for you to make me eggs?”
The blonde sighs, dragging his palm across his face. “Fine,” Denki concedes, turning to the sink to wash his hands.
“The least you can do is use the toaster and make us–” Denki starts, before glancing at Shouto and looking the boy up and down. Shouto only tilts his head to the side in confusion.
“Nevermind, that’s a bad idea. Dude, just sit at the table and find a video for us to watch.”
“We have to watch something?” Shouto murmurs to himself, raising a hand to his mouth in thought.
The blonde cracks an egg, giving the other a blank, unimpressed stare. “Bro, our generation isn’t physically able to eat food without watching a tik tok or something. Just figure it out.”
Shouto nods, deciding not to confront or disagree with the other. He finds that when he does, Denki and Shouto enter a back and forth of confusion that ends with Shouto feeling more inept than before and Denki seeming exasperated.
The boy scrolls through his phone, scanning to hopefully find an exciting video. Distantly he hears Denki humming to some trending song that comes on the radio often, the sizzling of eggs and the ticking of the toaster distracting Shouto. He’s so hungry.
In a stroke of luck or most likely the algorithmic predictions of social media, Shouto finds a 4 hour long video about the ‘lore’ and ‘theories’ behind some video game about bears that look suspiciously like Principal Nedzu that the boy thinks would be entertaining.
Shouto opens the video snd makes sure to pause the video. He isn’t exactly sure how the two were going to be able to watch the video at the same time while eating, but he trusts that Denki would be able to figure something out.
The boy is snapped out of his thoughts when Denki sets a plate in front of it. A glob of scrambled eggs laid atop a piece of toast, which despite the messy presentation, would have been satisfactory for Shouto.
However.
Across the yellow goop, an offending streak of ketchup had made itself a home on the plate – bits of ketchup sticking to the rim and side fo the plate.
Shouto must have pulled a miserable expression on his face, as Denki huffs. “I literally made you breakfast and this is what you do?”
“You put ketchup on your eggs.” The other says, hesitantly pushing the violated eggs out of the way.
Denki raises an eyebrow as he spoons eggs dripping with ketchup into his mouth. “You don’t?”
Shouto decides to ignore his comment and instead opens the video he had found. Placing it in a perpendicular position from the two, causing the two to hunch over the table to see the phone properly.
They end up leaning the phone against a head of cabbage that Denki found in the fridge.
Eating in a comfortable silence, Shouto ends up finishing earlier than Denki, so he gets put in charge of doing the dishes that accumulated due to their small meal.
The video being far from finished, the two decide to venture to the couch. Strewn across the plush seats, the phone is once again propped against the cabbage.
Shouto immersed himself into the video, eyes glued to the screen. Shifting to a more comfortable position, the two watch in silence — most likely due to Denki being far too tired to make any witty commentary.
Once the video begins comparing fake-game Nedzu creatures to real Principal Nedzu, Shouto turns excitedly to the blonde.
Opening his mouth to ask Denki his thoughts, Shouto pauses. Splayed across the couch, Denki’s head rested against the back cushions of the couch. Large paneled windows allowed the warm soft light of the sun rising to fall softly onto the blonde. Thick eyelashes had settled shut, a relaxed expression was displayed on his features. Mouth partially open, the blonde appears to have fallen asleep.
Shouto wonders if he also looks as peaceful as Denki when he sleeps.
Perhaps this would be the perfect way to return all the blonde’s favours that had done for the past few weeks. After helping Shouto sleep peacefully all those times, it feels natural to do help the napping blonde.
Quickly pausing the video, Shouto rushes up to his room to get an adequate blanket for the other. Admittedly in the boy’s rush he left his room in an unkempt state, but Denki seems like a more important priority at the moment.
Toddling back into the common room with heavy futon blankets in hand, Shouto makes an effort to gently tuck the blonde to sleep. Making sure the blankets are wrapped tightly, Denki simply continues to doze off, his head leaned back in an almost comical fashion.
Shouto pauses the video the two were ‘watching’ in case Denki wanted to continue watching it later. Leaning back to a more comfortable position, Shouto decides to watch the sunrise in silence.
Whenever a classmate of theirs would enter the common rooms and look at the pair in confusion, Shouto would gently shoo them away with an unimpressed, deadpan expression. He would also shush any classmate who would approach them for a conversation, in fears that any loud noise would wake the blonde resting.
When Shouto thinks about it, it seems rather surprising that he himself did not awaken with all of Denki’s actions from the past few weeks. From carrying Shouto all the way back to the dorms, to drifting off in the 1-A kitchen…it was either a show for Shouto being a very, very deep sleeper or it demonstrates Denki’s careful thoughtfulness to the other boy.
Perhaps Shouto should take a page out of Denki’s book – as they say – and gently rouse the blonde from his sleep but leaning back and listening to the steady, soft breathing of the boy next to him, Shouto found himself deciding against that action. It was early, and the blonde was acting tired all morning.
It also was comforting to have the sleeping boy sit next to Shouto amidst the tranquil and quiet morning.
Rumpling of the firm couch covers break Shouto from his thoughts, red and white hair swishing as the boy turns to the source of the noise. His eyes catch a yellow blur, and Shouto is pushed lightly to the side by Denki’s head that now rests on a firm shoulder.
Shouto gapes at Denki, who sleeps blissfully on Shouto’s side. Relaxing, the boy decides to shift his body slightly to a more comfortable position. Gently but firmly putting his hand in blonde hair, he makes sure Denki doesn’t move too much due to the movement.
Finally resting, Shouto leans back with Denki continuing to snooze on his shoulder. Looking out into the sunrise once again, Shouto passes the time watching the sky change from a pastel pink to a bright and fiery orange while listening to the steady breaths caused by Denki’s slumber.
And in that moment, Shouto felt completely at rest.