Work Text:
Of all the nights for the heat to go out, it had to be the coldest night of the year.
Midoriya was laying in bed trying to retain the tiniest bit of heat he had left. Shortly after climbing into bed, the young boy noticed the constant, steady hum of the heater had stopped. Thinking nothing of it, he fell into a quiet slumber only to be woken up by the sound of his chattering teeth. It was that moment that Midoriya realized that the heater had broken down and he was paying for it. Even with the extra blankets, the cold still found a way to creep its way deep into Midoriya’s skin.
Running out of options and blankets, Midoriya decided to seek help. With the thickest blanket wrapped around his frame, Midoriya stepped out into the dark hallway. Immediately, the young boy noticed how much colder it was outside his room than inside. Taking trembling steps, Midoriya made his way to anyone who would be willing to let him in. He thought about a couple of people who might let him sleep with them. He first thought of Todoroki but shot that down when he remembered that sometimes his icy side came out when he was sleeping and that was not what Midoriya wanted. He then thought of Iida but then he remembered how he tended to snore and Midoriya already lost enough sleep tonight.
Unable to take another step from shivering so much, Midoriya found himself standing in front of Shoji’s door. He never thought of it before, but Shoji might just work. Though they never spoke much out of class, Midoriya considered him and Shoji to be friends. He hoped that they were on good enough terms to have Shoji let him in. Lifting his hand, he gently knocked on the door as to not wake up anyone else but the multi-armed student. After a few seconds of no answer, Midoriya knocked again and this time heard a soft “come in.”
Opening the door, Midoriya found Shoji sitting up in his bed, mask askew. The first thing he noticed was the increase in items in the room. Instead of just a mattress and a desk, there was an actual bed with a small side table. The desk was still there but this time a simple lamp laid atop it. The room still held that extreme minimalistic feel to it that the class was familiar with. “Is there something I can help you with, Midoriya?”
“Huh, o-oh yeah. The heat went o-out in my room and I was ho-hoping to stay with you to-to-tonight?” Shoji stated at the boy shivering in front of him. He was wearing a shirt that had All Might written across it and shorts and no socks. He wondered how a boy who appeared to be freezing could wear little clothing and not decide to wear something warmer. Blaming the cold for Midoriya’s poor judgment, Shoji agreed to let Midoriya stay with him.
“You may stay here if you so desire.” Midoriya gave Shoji a look of utmost gratitude and many “thank yous” before climbing into bed with the masked boy. Shoji blushed, thinking that the smaller boy would just sleep on the mat on the floor. Instead, he wedged his way into Shoji’s arms trying to get comfortable. Pretty soon, Midoriya had his body pressed tightly against Shoji’s chest with his arms wrapped around himself and the blanket pulled tightly around his body.
“Um, Midoriya, what are you doing?”
“I’m trying to-o warm up. I’m not ho-hogging the covers am I?”
“No, no you’re not. I just didn’t think we would be sleeping in the same bed.”
”If you want me to-o, I can sleep on the floor. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Feeling bad for almost making Midoriya sleep on the cold floor, Shoji decided to let Midoriya stay in the bed with him.
“No, it’s fine. You can stay here if you want. Let me just adjust to get more uncomfortable.” Midoriya stayed quiet as Shoji turned him around to where his back was to his chest and his multiple arms were covering Midoriya like an extra blanket. Before he knew it, the two of them were spooning each other. Midoriya didn’t mind, however; he was finally receiving the warmth he was desperately seeking. Shoji’s muscled arms acted as a sort of heated blanket keeping the cold away. Before long, Midoriya was soundly asleep.
Meanwhile, Shoji was trying not to panic. Every since he met Midoriya, he didn’t really think he would become close to him. He had assumed he would keep to his group of friends and he to his. That assumption didn’t stop Midoriya from trying to become his friend. He found himself talking to the boy about each other’s quirks and listening to Midoriya provide helpful insight on how to utilize his quirk the best. He may not know it, but Shoji has improved quite a bit from the smaller boy’s helpful tips.
It wasn’t long before Shoji realized he enjoyed the small boy’s company. He enjoyed the way he laughed at the littlest things or how he was always mumbling about something or other. Whenever Midoriya stepped into the room, Shoji swore the sun shone a little brighter and washed his worries away. Midoriya’s smile always found a way to put the masked student at ease and place this fluttering feeling in his chest. When talking about it to Tokoyami, he said that Shoji had a crush on the green-haired boy and should tell him. The thought of telling Midoriya scared Shoji to death.
Focusing on the sleeping boy cuddled next to him, Shoji noticed the way the moonlight lit up Midoriya’s face, giving him this beautiful glow. His long eyelashes cast shadows across his cheeks, framing each individual freckle. Shoji was well aware that even though Midoriya came off as a small, green bunny, he was hiding a more powerful side. That side was evident during the sports festival. It was one of the things Shoji admired about the teen. Shoji smiled at how peaceful Midoriya looked and fell asleep with that image in mind.
/()-()/
At some point in the night, Midoriya woke up to the sound of soft snoring. Yawning, he opened his eyes to find him held under the arms of his classmate, Shoji. Looking up, Midoriya looked at the resting face of his friend. Midoriya knew that he and Shoji weren’t really that close. They had a few conversations concerning each other’s quirks. Midoriya even gave some tips on how Shoji could maximize the usefulness of his quirk. Besides that, they didn’t really talk much. He noticed that sometimes the multi-armed teen would talk to Tokoyami and Kouda and figured they were friends.
Over time, Midoriya found himself enjoying the other’s company. He noticed the way Shoji would absent-mindedly tap his pencil against his mask or how he would hum the same tune from time to time. Midoriya came to admire the amount of strength Shoji possessed and how kind he was to his friends. Whenever Kouda would start to get overwhelmed, he found Shoji there to calm him down and make sure he was okay. Whenever Midoriya saw shoji smile beneath his mask, he would get this fluttering feeling in his chest. When talking about it to Uraraka, she suggested that Midoriya was crushing on the taller teen. When told to tell Shoji about it, Midoriya immediately refused, afraid of what the other would say.
Focusing on the sleeping teen cuddling him, Midoriya watched as the moonlight framed Shoji’s face perfectly, showing off his defined features. He felt the way Shoji’s arms wrapped around his body in a protective brace. The way the muscled arms held Midoriya tight against the chiseled chest had the smaller boy blushing. With a warm feeling in his chest, Midoriya fell back into a restful sleep.
/()-()/
Before they knew it, the morning sun was peaking through the windows waking both boys up. Midoriya let out a small yawn with Shoji doing the same. Neither wanted to move from their comfortable position and they were thankful it wasn’t a school day. Eventually, someone had to say something to break the silence and Shoji decided to be the one to do it. “So, Midoriya, did you sleep well?”
”Hmm, oh yeah, I did. Thank you again for letting me sleep here. It was nice of you.”
“No problem, anytime. We should probably get up and head down for breakfast.”
“You’re right.” Despite what was said, nobody made a move. Both were unwilling to move away from each other’s arms. Shoji decided to use this time wisely and talk to Midoriya about something important.
“Um, Midoriya, may I ask a question?”
“Sure, what is it Shoji?”
”I was wondering if there was anyone you might be interested in. You know, romantically?”
Midoriya heard the question and grew nervous at what the other boy might be implying. “I don’t know, I never really gave it much thought. Why do you ask?”
Shoji knew it was now or never. “I was wondering because I’m... What I mean is... What I’m saying is that... I’m really infatuated with you Midoriya and I was wondering if you felt the same way about me?” Midoriya stared at Shoji as he finished asking his question. He noticed that his mask was having a hard time hiding the deep blush that crept up his cheeks. The whole thing was adorable. Shoji had his hands covering his face when he felt Midoriya move around and grab his hands. His hands were pulled away and he saw Midoriya giving him that beautiful sunlit smile.
“To answer your question, Shoji, I am very much infatuated with you. I have been for a while now. I never said anything because I was afraid you wouldn’t return my feelings. But now that I know that you do return my feelings, I’m the happiest I could ever be.” Shoji heard this and couldn’t believe his ears. To top it all off, Midoriya leaned forward and gave Shoji a kiss on the cheek. The person who he had been crushing on for a while now just told him that he likes him back and he even gave him a kiss. Nothing could’ve prepared him for this moment.
“Midoriya, you don’t know how happy that makes me to hear you say that.” To show him how happy he is, Shoji kissed the boy on the forehead and hugged him closer making him let out an adorable little squeak. Shoji let out a little laugh and snuggled Midoriya even closer to him. Midoriya may be a cuddle bunny but he’s Shoji’s cuddle bunny.