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In the small comfort of Midoriya’s dorm room, the young man lies in his bed feeling incredibly tired yet fidgety at the same time. He’s grown so far in his hero training, but there’s still lots of things he can improve on. Unfortunately, he can’t do anything at the moment due to the heaviness of his body and lightheadedness that came with his sickness. As if that wasn’t enough, he even went and lost his voice, though he supposes it’s his own fault with all the yelling and screaming he does when pumped up with adrenaline.
Midoriya groans, but the sound comes out strangled and pathetically weak. His throat feels scratchy and unpleasant, and the aspiring hero feels compelled to whimper at the poor state he’s in, but he knows he should do everything he can to rest up his vocal chords for a speedier recovery. Wallowing in his self-pity, Midoriya throws his head back to his pillows and wonders if he’ll get better soon.
There’s a small knock on the door, and Midoriya lifts his head just in time to see Shinsou open the door just a crack to check up on him. Seeing that the freckled young man is awake, Shinsou lets himself inside, shutting the door quietly behind him before approaching Midoriya. The student sits down on the edge of the bed, and he offers the sick male a warm mug of tea brewed specifically just for him.
“How are you feeling?” Shinsou asks as he watches Midoriya take small sips of his beverage.
Placing the mug on the nearby desk, Midoriya moves to retrieve the notepad and pen that he’s been using to communicate since he lost his voice but seems to change his mind halfway through reaching for it. Shinsou cocks his head to the side before his lips part to let out a soft exhale of breath when the 1A student takes the tired-looking male’s hand into his own.
With his index finger, Midoriya slowly writes out the letters on Shinsou’s open palm, the sensation ticklish and causing his heart to flutter alongside the dancing butterflies in his stomach. Although Shinsou’s expression remains neutral, there’s a hint of pink dusted across his cheeks, and the young man tries to ignore the jittery feeling inside him to instead focus on Midoriya’s words.
“ I’m a bit better now thanks to you looking after me. ”
The corners of Shinsou’s lips tug upwards into a small smile, a sense of pride and accomplishment filling his chest. Although he will never admit it out loud, he looks up to Midoriya and his fierce determination to become a great hero, if not the greatest. Ever since their tournament, Shinsou felt like he needed to catch up with him, and the fact that Midoriya relied on him like this, no matter how small or mundane the task, made him happy.
“It’s no problem,” Shinsou replies, and although there’s now a lull in the conversation, he doesn’t retract his hand.
The atmosphere that fills the room is comfortable and light, but the two occupants are looking anywhere but each other. While they each enjoy the other’s company, they’re still a bit timid about the subtle intimacy that hangs in the air. It’s not like the two are in the budding part of their relationship—they’ve been an official couple for a while now—but no matter how much time passes, it still makes their hearts race to be close to one another.
Seconds tick by, and the previous comfortable silence starts to shift to one of awkwardness as neither of the aspiring heroes can come up with a topic for conversation. With a small tug on his hand, Shinsou turns his head to look at Midoriya who offers him a bashful smile. The freckled student then starts to trace words on the warm palm in his hand once more.
“ Thanks for always taking care of me, ” Midoriya writes out plain and simple, but there’s so much weight behind the sentence and sentiment.
It’s a bit strange, Shinsou has to admit. He’s used to people being quiet around him out of a certain fear and unease with his Quirk, but Midoriya never held himself back with him. Shinsou initially thought of Midoriya as a fool for always replying to him and falling for his traps to playfully use his Quirk on him, but it was also endearing in a way. Maybe that was when Shinsou first realized his feelings for the young man.
And perhaps that’s why it felt weird to not be able to hear Midoriya’s usual responses when he first lost his voice. Shinsou has to admit that he kind of misses it, but then again, Midoriya is the kind of person to wear his heart on his sleeve. Even if he’s unable to voice his thoughts out loud, Shinsou can still hear them loud in clear with just one look in his eyes.
Shinsou’s expression grows soft, and he cups Midoriya’s cheek, laughing to himself he feels how they start to warm up from that action alone. He strokes the skin of Midoriya’s cheek with his thumb, his touch soft and feather-like. Midoriya can feel his heart thudding against his chest as he watches Shinsou tilt his head to the side and start to lean in, deliberately slow.
With their faces just mere inches apart now, Midoriya allows his eyelids to fall shut, anticipation coursing through his veins as he holds his breath. He can feel Shinsou’s warm breaths brush against his slightly parted lips, but the young man changes course at the end and instead quickly kisses the corner of Midoriya’s mouth.
A small squeak manages to slip past the mostly voiceless student as Shinsou starts to pull back, a smug smile and mischievous eyes dancing on his features. Shinsou can’t hold back his laughter at the painfully obvious look of disappointment on Midoriya’s face, prompting the student to puff his cheeks out in indignation.
“It looks like you have something to say,” Shinsou teases as he gets up from the bed, Midoriya’s eyes watching his every movement. “If you want something from me, you should hurry up and get better so that you can tell me.”
Midoriya stares in disbelief at first before amusement fills his eyes, his shoulders shaking with a soundless laugh. He playfully rolls his eyes at the aspiring hero before nodding his head in agreement. Shinsou isn’t the only one that misses their conversations after all, and Midoriya silently vows to himself to get back at Shinsou as soon as he recovers.