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It was early in the morning, the birds were beginning to sing though the sky was still black and starry. It was Sunday, Shouto's favorite day. His father would allow Shouto a break from his training. Shouto could spend his day cuddling up against his mother while watching All Might on the television. If it were up to the young boy, he'd sleep in until three in the afternoon; alas, his internal alarm clock forced him awake. It acted as a defense mechanism to avoid his father's early morning yelling. Shouto awoke and immediately sat up. The heat-retaining blanket slid off his body as he reached for the sky in a euphoric stretch. He couldn't stop the groan that left his mouth; stretching was a national treasure. He rubbed his eyes with his fists and yawned.
When Shouto's stomach called for his attention, he moved around and pushed the blankets off the rest of the way. Shouto quickly folded the comforter and placed it and his pillow on top of a box that contained his embarrassing amount of toys. He trotted to the sliding door of his room, slipping his hand in the circular indentation of the door. Shouto slid the door open, making sure to listen for anyone outside before doing so. Shouto stepped off the tatami mats onto finished wooden floors. His small feet padded against the wood, occasionally causing the wood to moan. The halls were dark, but Shouto knew his parents were awake. As Shouto approached the kitchen, he caught his mother speaking. Shouto was pleased to hear a comforting voice, but her words caught his attention.
"Mom, I know it's not right, but I can't do it anymore. The children... They're- They're like him more and more every day."
There was a pause, then she gasped, "And Shouto... His left side. Sometimes I look at him and hate what I see." Her voice was shaking, and Shouto felt his stomach lurch at her words, "I-I... I can't raise him anymore. I shouldn't raise him... " Shouto's heart slammed against his ribs. The gravity of her words killed Shouto on the inside. Shouto didn't want her to leave him. She was the only person in his life he could trust. Shouto needed to change her mind, promise her he'd never be like his father, Shouto would protect her. Shouto turned to face the door. He peered inside, mostly the left side of his face appearing in the light. Shouto tried to call out strongly, but his voice came as a whimper, "M-Mommy?" That was when Shouto noticed his mother had the kettle on the stove; it started whistling. Shouto tried to tell his mother, but his words caught in his throat when she turned around. There was nothing but fear and hatred swimming in her usually gentle grey eyes. Shouto saw her grab the kettle blindly. She carelessly dropped her phone onto the kitchen floor and stomped towards him. Her hand reached out to open the door further, then to grab Shouto's hair. She raised the kettle over Shouto's face and tilted it over his left side.
Then, Shouto woke up. His heart was hammering in his chest, the scar on his face ached with phantom pains. He groaned as he sat up, his left hand moved, hovering over his frost burn. Shouto couldn't help the frustration that flooded his system. He was twenty-one, it has been well over ten years since the incident occurred, and he was still having nightmares over it. Shouto turned to look at his bedside table, checking the time on his alarm. The red lights showed it was four in the morning, the same time it had been before. It was Sunday, too. Shouto dropped his hand and sighed. Shouto was the type of man who couldn't go back to sleep after waking up once. He decided he'd grab something to snack on from the kitchen. He had to make sure to be quiet, as he shared an apartment with none other than Izuku Midoriya. It seemed that any noise awoke Izuku, so Shouto took care to avoid stepping on parts of the wooden floor that creaked. However, as he reached the kitchen, he noticed the light was on. He heard Izuku talking.
"I can't tell him that. M-Maybe... Maybe it's best if I leave? I don't want to mess anything up, you know? If I create that distance, it won't be so hard."
It all seemed very familiar.
Shouto peered into the kitchen, taking in what Izuku was doing. There was a kettle on the stove. He was speaking on the phone, shifting his weight between his left and right side. Shouto thought about going back to his bedroom. He thought about going to his bedroom and hiding . Before he could back away and turn around, Izuku twisted on his heel, meeting Shouto's eyes. Shouto felt fear leap into his throat. He watched Izuku's hands, the hands that Shouto had helped in scarring. Izuku would hate Shouto; it'd be weirder if he didn't. Shouto was spiraling, his nightmare was fresh on his mind, and Izuku looked so much like Rei right now.
"H-Hey... Are you okay? Shouto?"
The kettle never screamed. Izuku never dropped his phone, or grabbed the black pot and storm over to Shouto, or rip open the door and stare down at Shouto in disgust, or pour boiling water over his face. The relief that Izuku was worried for Shouto, not scared of Shouto, caused Shouto enough shock that he had to sit down. As Shouto tried to breathe, Izuku sat down in the middle of the kitchen floor, keeping his distance. Izuku spoke in a gentle voice, one that Shouto had the gift of hearing regularly, "It's okay, Shouto. I'm gonna sit right here until you feel better, okay? Let's try to breathe together, yeah? Deep breaths in through your nose and out your mouth, remember?" Shouto's eyes met Izuku's, and Shouto copied Izuku's breathing. It was getting easier; Shouto hadn't noticed how breathless he was. When Izuku saw Shouto breathing, he smiled, "Good job! Does that feel better, Shouto?" Shouto gulped. His mouth felt dry. Shouto decided to nod, and Izuku looked gleeful.
Izuku's eyes were proud and reassuring.
"Can-Can you come h-here?" Shouto requested Izuku's presence, and Izuku nodded, "Of course!" Instead of standing up and walking to Shouto, Izuku crawled on all fours to the other man. He gently pulled open the door and looked up at Shouto. Izuku did remind Shouto of Rei. Izuku reminded Shouto of the good. All Shouto wanted was to be held, so he leaned over to Izuku and outstretched his arms. Shouto's arms slid around Izuku's waist, and he planted his face Into Izuku's stomach. It wasn't soft, but Shouto didn't expect it to be. Shouto breathed deeply, reminding himself that Izuku wasn't scared of Shouto, Izuku wouldn't hurt him. He heard Izuku speaking, "Can I touch you?" Shouto nodded. Izuku's hands quickly weaved into Shouto's hair. Izuku was scratching at Shouto's scalp with blunt nails, but it felt good nonetheless. Izuku pet Shouto, and it helped Shouto see the gentleness of Izuku. As Shouto's mind slowed, he felt very embarrassed at this scene. Shouto noticed he was crying, not to mention he was holding Izuku so tightly and rubbing his face against Izuku's stomach.
But, Shouto didn't let go.
Izuku spoke softly, "What happened, Sho?" Shouto sighed, dropping his head. Izuku's hands moved to grasp each side of Shouto's face. He tilted Shouto's head up so they could look at each other, "You don't have to talk about it," Izuku used his thumbs to swipe a few tears from Shouto's cheeks, "It's okay, are you with me?" Shouto finally spoke, "I'm okay." Izuku smiled down at Shouto, "Good... I was making tea." Shouto furrowed his eyebrows, "At four in the morning?" Izuku laughed, "Yeah, I kept waking up, so I decided I'd just stay up, then I was craving tea. I know you like your tea iced, so I was gonna put some in the fridge for you, but you woke up pretty early." The kettle began to whistle, Shouto sat up, and Izuku's hands slowly left his face. Shouto began to stand on his weak knees, Izuku quickly followed. Izuku hurried over to the kettle and took it off of the burner. It seemed that Izuku had already placed a small pot off to the side with a strainer and tea leaves. Izuku immediately poured the water over the leaves, Shouto watched the steam rise.
"I had a nightmare, and you reminded me of it."
Izuku paused and looked over his shoulder at Shouto, who was leaning against the doorframe. Izuku looked hurt but quickly turned away with a hum, "I'm sorry." Shouto noticed Izuku's shoulders dropping, so he quickly corrected himself, "My mom poured boiling water from a kettle on the left side of my face. She was on her phone before, talking about how she couldn't take care of me. I just- I heard some of what you were saying, and then I noticed the kettle, then you turned around... So- So I thought... I thought you'd pour it on me, too." Izuku had placed the kettle off to the side and lowered the strainer to allow the crushed leaves to soak in the steaming water. Izuku turned around, "She poured water from the kettle on you?" His voice was pressing, but he didn't speak as if he didn't believe Shouto. Shouto nodded, "She did." Izuku stared at Shouto, "And-And she said she couldn't take care of you anymore?" Shouto nodded, "She knew that she was going to hurt me." Izuku's eyebrows arched down, "Oh, Shouto..." Shouto felt his cheeks warm, "I-I didn't mean to behave like that. I apologize. I know you'd never do something like that to anyone, but everything was clear on my mind. The situations lined up. I'm sorry." Izuku shook his head, "You don't have to apologize. It's not your fault."
Shouto was silent, and Izuku was studying him. Izuku leaned back against the counter, "I was talking to Katsuki. I thought you'd be more comfortable by yourself. You've always struck me as a private person. We see each other so often, during our Uni classes and at home, I thought you'd want a break. I'm sorry if I misread things. I should've come to you with my concerns. I'm sorry you overheard that, especially after having that nightmare." Shouto spoke softly, "You're not scared of me?" Izuku smiled softly, "No, Shouto. I'm not scared of you." Shouto felt a weight lift off of his shoulders, "I'm glad." That was all Shouto could muster out. Izuku laughed softly, "If I said that to anyone else, they'd beat me up."
Shouto, despite his mental anguish, found a smile playing on his lips, "I'm not just anyone, though." Izuku looked surprised before turning away with a shy smile. Shouto could see Izuku's ears flushed, "No... You're not." Shouto felt pleased with that, "Izuku, I don't want you to leave. I know we'll have to go our separate ways in the future, but I don't want it to happen yet. I don't think I'll ever want it to happen." Izuku pulled the strainer from the pot and placed it in the sink; he then opened a drawer and grabbed a spoon from it to stir. He spoke quietly, "Me neither." Shouto stared at Izuku's back. Instead of getting tea, like Izuku said he wanted, he put it in the fridge. Izuku approached Shouto with a small smile, "Wanna go watch some All Might documentaries with me in the living room?" Shouto stared down at Izuku.
While Izuku reminded Shouto of Rei, Izuku was someone else entirely.
"That sounds nice."