Work Text:
Shouto turned over in his warm, damp bed. On the nightstand beside him was an All-Might themed alarm clock that looked like it had seen better days. He gave it a dreary look, read 4:04 AM, then turned on his back to look at the ceiling.
He was surprisingly dizzy, and he felt cold.
He usually snapped back to attention and failed to sleep entirely. He’d start to feel like he was falling and then he would be awake again. He couldn’t recall a time where this hadn’t inconvenienced him. He just wanted to rest his body and mind so badly. The 6AM batterings, then awkward, distant school relationships, then more home beatings was just too much. He craved a numbness. It didn’t matter if it was for one night or more.
A quick, and probably concerning, search on the internet lead to maps of the body and forums of dos and don’ts. He copied much of the information into a notebook and set it beside him for reference before he did anything.
It was too dark to read it now, but he must have done well. He pulled another thick blanket over his body, his forearms and thighs reminding him of his dulling pain, then turned over onto his side again. Every movement costed so much more effort than it did before. He was lightheaded, and his hands were clammy and shaky. Some had dried a bit, leaving his fingers feeling like he’d dried paint on them. He smiled weakly.
The alertness didn’t come. Instead, a thought kissed him goodnight.
What if you really become a hero without using his power?