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Deku sat alone in the dark lobby. The quiet tap tap tap of cold fingers on his phone, the only noise audible in the dead of night. The fuzzy red throw blanket, his only covering in the cold room. At 3 am everyone was asleep. Everyone except Midoriya. Nightmares plagued his dreams, haunting him with his failures. His bright screen illuminated his face but wasn't enough to reveal the empty surrounding space. Headphones blasted angry music to match his feelings. A playlist he complied to satisfy his storm of emotions brewing silently inside.
Here in the dark hours of the night, he allowed his feelings to contort his features. Allowed the tears to stream down his cheeks and wet his shirt. So many failures to choose from and since he started at UA and began his road to heroism, he has failed one person after another. His most recent was his sensei, Nighteye. He was late, and because of that, his mentor died. Why had it come to this? Couldn't he have done anything more? What kind of pathetic excuse of a hero was he if he wasn't even going to be on time.
So much time has passed during his silent grieving that his tears have run dry. A hollow ache in his chest that slowly spread outwards made his limbs heavy. Like a blanket of weight he was unable to lift, pushing down on his chest in a feeble attempt to squash him.
His music canceled out the ding of the elevator. His turned back didn't give him warning with the light it emitted. The loud thump thump thump of footsteps as they approached drowned out by the bass in the song. Only the hand on his shoulder ripped him away from his endless thoughts. His body jerked and the quick turn to address the new comer ripped his headphones from their place in his ears.
His vision was filled with blonde spiky hair and piercing red eyes. Blonde brows furrowed as he took in the messy state of his childhood friend. Why was Deku sitting here in the dark at half past 3. His eyes roamed his face, seeing the dry tear trails that caught in the fading light of the elevator. Bloodshot eyes and dark bags. Something was wrong with him, that much was obvious.
He was aware of the recent death of Nighteye, who wasn't? Given Midoriya's personality he was probably taking credit for it. Bakugo knew better than to give his usual bitter attitude and harsh language in this situation, he chose a more gentle tone, though coming from him he expected his surprise.
"Why are you crying in the dark at 3 am?" He questioned. He gave him a soft but pointed look, knowing Midoriya is a shit liar and daring him to try. Midoriya's eyes widened slightly before reverting back to his sad hollow gaze.
"It's my fault my mentor is dead." He gave a simple response. No further details were needed.
"It wasn't your fault. You did everything you could. You forget you are only a freshman, you don't have the experience needed to fight on equal footing as the pros. You know that, you're just not thinking with that big brain of yours." He said in a half assed attempt at cheering him up, flicking him lightly on the forehead in reprimand. Midoriya rubbed his forehead but didn't refute his small speech. He knew he was right but this guilt could not be so easily swayed.
"Why are you awake at 3 am?" Bakugo pressed. Midoriya looked away, ashamed to admit he was afraid of memories.
"Nightmares."
"Ah, I get them too." He admitted, holding his stare as Midoriya turned back to meet his eyes with shock. Never would he think Bakugo would admit to weakness.
"How can you sleep then?" Midoriya asked, desperate for a solution to his exhaustion.
"Why do you think I'm awake at 3 am like you?" He shrugged, and Midoriya sagged in disappointment. Bakugo was silent for a long time, studying the boy's side profile. Over the last several months, he had matured, gained muscle definition in his physique and features but seeing him this way pulled something much deeper from him. A cold ache that wanted to reach out and comfort the greenette. Bakugo gave it a bit of thought.
"Do you hate me?" He asked. He was a bit nervous for the answer, if he said yes he wasn't sure what he would do. He had grown to respect his rival and dare he say start to like him. He felt comfortable in his presence, like a weight being lifted from his shoulders with every smile he saw.
Midoriya was hesitant. He understood why he should hate him. After all the suffering he had gone through and the healing he had to do on his own, it would be normal to.. but he never hated him. To him, he was the pinnacle of everything he strived to be. Confident and strategic, a genius intellect that gave him an advantage in combat and allowed him to grasp the situation and think of the best route to take to achieve victory. That's what he wanted to be like. He had always admired him, studied him to absorb his style and technique. He was his hero. He could never hate him.
"No." He paused, wondering how much of his feelings he should divulge. "You're my hero." He decided. It was safe, didn't dive in too deep but conveyed his opinions all the same.
"Even after all the shit I've put you through. You still hold onto your childhood ideals." He gave a small half smile. Not one of his cocky smirks or murderous smiles of promising pain. No this one was of genuine relief and happiness. It was the most beautiful smile Midoriya had ever seen. His eyes looked almost fond but the dim light of his screen provided the only light in the room, it could have played his eyes for fools.
Bakugo retained his smile even with Midoriya's blatant staring.
"Do you think it would help ward off the nightmares if you slept next to your hero?" He asked. He would never admit it but referring to himself as Midoriya's hero made his heart speed and his chest tighten.
"Would you really be okay with that? I don't even know if it would help. I would hate to be a nuisance. Most of the time I wake up in a cold sweat, gasping for air if not yelling, from a nightmare." He explained, if Bakugo was offering his bed to him, he should know what he was signing up for. Bakugo shrugged.
"Doesn't bother me. The choice is yours." He said, giving a small wave and heading back for the elevator. Midoriya smiled fondly at his rare kindness before following after him, throwing his blanket over his shoulder. He would try anything to sleep peacefully at this point. Bakugo waited, keeping the door open for Midoriya to get in the small box with him. Midoriya was nervous. As children they often fell asleep next to each other while playing or watching tv but that was over ten years ago. They were nearing adulthood now, sharing a bed was something normal reserved for lovers. He tried not to think about it as the door opened into the fourth floor hallway. Bakugo left the cold metal floor and stepped onto the soft carpet turning right and opening the third door down the hall with his name placard tacted to the wall. He left the door open for his companion to shut after him. Midoriya followed, closing the door behind himself, enveloping them in darkness again save for the moonlight peeking behind thin curtains. The blonde lifted the blankets on the queen sized bed and shifted to one side, leaving room for the greenette to join him. Midoriya sighed quietly before folding his blanket and placing it on his desk chair before following suit and slipping under the cold sheets not yet warmed by body temperature. Bakugo turned to face him on his side and studied him for a few moments. Raising a hand and lightly dragged his fingers over his cheeks with the back on his knuckles. Caressing the bone with his thumb before withdrawing and shifting onto his back.
"Goodnight" he said before shutting his eyes and letting sleep take him.
"Goodnight." Midoriya returned softly, feeling the heat of his fingers still against his cheeks. Questions swarmed from his gentle caress but the pull on his eyelids won him over and he fell into the first dreamless sleep he has had in the previous weeks.
****
Midoriya woke to the feeling of warm breath on his nape and a heavy arm draped across his waist. Memories of the previous night came quickly but he remained relaxed even with their close proximity. He felt so comfortable, and well rested. It was the first night he slept through in so long. The bright sunlight illuminated the room even with the curtains drawn, showing him it was well into the morning. He knew he should get up but his eyes remained closed and against his better judgement he pressed ever so slightly backwards into the warm chest of his sleeping partner. Bakugo's arm tightened to wrap more snugly around him and a mumbled "morning" left his lips.
Midoriya's breath caught in his throat. Knowing Bakugo was awake and consciously held him tighter filled his chest with warmth. A smile etched its way across his mouth and he let himself fall asleep again. God knows he has enough to make up for.