Work Text:
Tokoyami hated working late nights. He didn't understand why coffee shops had to be open at 10pm on a quiet Wednesday but here he was. But there were some good things about closing so late; catching the regular students and classmates begging for coffee because they forgot to buy some at the store and wanted some quiet time to do their work last moment. Midoriya and Kirishima, two of his classmates often came in to keep him company when he was bored and in return they got free coffee and discounted cakes. Sometimes he'd see Todoroki who would hand him Soba because somehow he knew the teen didn't eat whilst at work and in return he'd get his favorite blueberry and raspberry muffin. Another thing that was so good about closing so late and on his own was seeing his definitely not a crush crush Shoji. He felt like an idiot, a teenage girl in high school dreaming about the guy in her class who wouldn't spare her even a glance on a good day but god was he a weak homosexual.
He was smart enough to not tell his co-worker. Mina would for sure shove him towards him and tease him but it wouldn't be too long before she figured it out. Too many times Tokoyami had found himself staring over at Shoji who talked with his friends, almost silent. He always had a mask around his face and Tokoyami couldn't help but wonder why. He didn't judge, a himself wore a piece of thick fabric around his wrists to hide scars but he couldn't help but be curious. It was ridiculous. Neither of them had ever spoken to each other, too introverted to do anything but smile at each other.
But despite all the classmates he saw, he despised closing more than anything. He exited the coffee shop, key in hand as he turned to lock the door. It was pitch black, in the dead of winter and freezing. Tokoyami, being the smart person he was, only bought a thin sweater which did absolutely nothing to help him against the cold. Still, campus was only a few minutes away and if he ran he'd get there before freezing to death.
Sounds of the nightclub not far away travelled through the night; loud music and even louder students. They would filter through the streets once the club closed, some going back to their dorms and others to the 24/7 fast food restaurant a little down the road. Tokoyami shared a brief sorrow for the workers, knowing they're not paid nearly enough to deal with a bunch of drunk 18 year old students. He pocketed the key, keeping his hands in his pocket before heading down the street. He kept his head down as he passed a group of three men who he could feel eyes on him.
He despised working late for several reasons; Late nights, walking home in the cold, not having the day free to do what he wanted, forcing everything to be done in the morning and then the men who he'd often come across and far too many times that he had caught their attention. Most of the times they'd just look at him, sometimes whispering amongst themselves about him but other times they'd call something out to him. He tried to ignore it. Their words meant nothing to him.
But this time they didn't just stare at him or call something out to him, instead they followed him. He sped up, not to a run but a fast walk to not make it suspicious. He felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back into the side street he had just passed. Tokoyami tried to scream but a hand went over his mouth until his back was pushed against the brick wall, digging into his back. The man holding him had an arm on his neck, another one on his hip. The other two men held his arms so he couldn't hit back. The overwhelming scent of alcohol came from the mouth way too close to his face, flicking of a pocket knife by his ear. He tried kicking out, too terrified to scream for help. The man in front of him moved closer, the arm on his neck cutting out his oxygen. He let out a strangled scream, tears filling his eyes. Bricks dug into his back, cutting up his sweater and pressed into his skin. His skin didn't break but any further and it would. The blade was now against his cheek.
The hand on his waist pulled out his sweater from his jeans, patting down his pockets. He felt a finger slip under the waistband and his mind went blank with panic. He could only choke and splutter protests, trying his best to kick out at his attacker. The blade pricked his skin, dragging down his cheekbone and down to his lip. The thought of more scars on his body terrified him. It would heal if he survived but it would be a reminder of what he went through. A few tears slipped down his face despite all of his efforts.
"Don't cry." The man in front of him said in a mockery of sympathy. The arm on his neck moved to a hand gripping his cheeks, making him look at the man. He couldn't make out the details of his face, shrouded in shadows. The two men on either side of him laughed, fingers gripping his arms. "It'll be over faster if you stay still and silent."
He couldn't feel the hand down his jeans but he knew it was still there. His skin felt like it was burning where the men touched him, his cheek feeling no better.
"Please- Stop. Stop." Tokoyami begged, letting his dead drop down. He could scream but it might leave him with a neck cut open, bleeding out and dead before anyone could come running. If he yelled and fought back the knife could end up in his stomach, stabbing him over and over and over until he died in front of them. He was trapped, fated to do whatever the men wanted and even then he could end up dead. "Stop!"
He could feel the hand in his jeans how, far too close for him to not start screaming. He thrashed around and kicked out, landing a few hits on one of the men who held his arm. He went down with a groan, apparently taking a hit to the dick. Tokoyami was a little proud of his hit but it was short lived until he got with a punch to the jaw. He went down like a brick, his kneed hitting the floor but his arm was still being held. It twisted awkwardly, cracking as he dropped. He screamed. Loud. More tears filled his eyes, dropping a lot quicker this time. He stared at the ground, blurred vision not giving him much to look at.
"Stop screa-" The man started before being abruptly stopped, the sound of a fist on skin filling the alleyway. His arm was dropped as the man holding it let go, followed by the sound of running. Two pairs of footsteps followed not long after. Tokoyami didn't dare look up, not even when there was a steady hand on his lower back. His first reaction was to move away, the hand far too close to his jeans. He couldn't tell who it belonged to and he didn't want to risk it. The sudden jolt irritated his shoulder, keeping him down on the floor. It terrified him.
"Tokoyami.. Hey. Hey. You're safe." Tokoyami looked up, wiping his tears from his face which burned with shame and embarrassment. Shoji crouched in front of him, a steady hand on his shoulder. There was no one else in the alleyway except them and it was too silent. The usual nightclub sounds had disappeared and Shoji was no longer speaking. His mouth was moving but no sound reached him. Tokoyami could only hear his own breathing, rapid and shaky. He tried to calm himself, pulling his knees to his chest but nothing was working. The only thing stopping himself from losing himself to blind panic was the hand on his shoulder. It didn't move or let up. It didn't let up even when he was leaning a bit too forward, blurred vision turning into increasingly larger dark spots and even his own breathing turning silent.
"..yami. Tokoyami. Jesus fucking Christ please wake up. Tokoyami!" He jolted up, vision swimming for a moment before settling. He took note of where he was. Still in the alley, the sky was still dark and Shoji was still crouched next to him, holding him close to his chest. Strong arms were wrapped around his shoulders, warm and comforting. He didn't care, he leant into the touch, closing his eyes again. God was he exhausted. "Hey, don't fall asleep on me. We need to get you back to the dorms."
Tokoyami nodded and let Shoji help him to his feet. He swayed a little, his head still swimming but Shoji only held his shoulders even tighter. He tried not to stumble and act like more of an idiot in front of Shoji but he figured blacking out in front of him was embarrassing enough.
"You passed out for a little there, are you okay?" Shoji asked, looking down at Tokoyami. He frowned a little, looking at the still bleeding cut on his cheek before wiping it away with the sleeve of his jacket. Tokoyami winced a little but didn't move. The touch was comforting, very different to how he was touched not even half an hour earlier.
"I'm fine- Sorry for passing out on you- I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry if I scared you." Tokoyami turned his head away, cheeks burning red. He shoved his shaking hands into his pocket not wanting to seem worse than he already seemed. He was desperate to lie and say he was fine and not affected by what had just happened but he was shaking with fear, the last remnants of panic not letting up just yet. He couldn't think about it or else he'd start panicking again.
"Don't apologize. I'm just glad I got here before they were able to do anything else to you. What happened?" Shoji placed two hands on his shoulders, grounding him. He let Tokoyami lead his head on his chest, not tall enough to reach his shoulder. He hoped Tokoyami couldn't hear or feel his heart racing. The entire event terrified him, hearing Tokoyami scream and beg for strangers to stop in the darkness of a side alley, his shoulder almost being dislocated and then passing out on Shoji, staying like that for almost five minutes. Any longer and Shoji would've called an ambulance. He was still considering at the smaller boy looked like he was about to pass out again.
"I don't want to talk about it.. Please. I don't want to think about it." Tokoyami gripped his shirt, tears seeping through his fabric. Shoji held him tight until he was ready to move. It unsettled him seeing Tokoyami show so much emotion but he couldn't blame him one bit. He would be the same if he was attacked in the middle of the night.
Tokoyami stayed attached to him for another few minutes before moving away, roughly wiping his eyes until the tears stopped. His eyes were red and puffy and his cheek was bleeding again. Shoji reached out and wiped away the blood again, this time Tokoyami didn't flinch. He smiled through his mask, hoping Tokoyami could tell. The two stayed in the alley for another minute before starting their walk back to the dorms. The silence was comfortable, neither wanting to talk about what just happened even if they knew they had to at some point.
"You're shivering." Shoji mentioned a few minutes into their walk. The trip was taking slower than usual; Tokoyami, still a little breathless would have to take small breaks to catch his breath and was limping a little. Shoji stayed right by his side the whole way, holding him close to his body when they passed drunken groups. They never looked twice at the pair but Shoji felt Tokoyami tense up, ignoring the urge to hold onto the other so tight he could break bones.
Tokoyami looked back at him, arms wrapped around his waist tightly. He shrugged, continuing to stare at the floor as they walked. He was a bit in front of Shoji so he jumped once he felt heavy and warm fabric wrap around his shoulders. It was two sizes too big and it drowned him but it was so warm. Tokoyami couldn't help but pull it closer, embracing the warmth. It hit a few seconds later that Shoji just gave him his jacket, leaving him in a long t shirt.
"Won't you get cold?" Tokoyami asked, concerned for his.. friend? Could he call him that just yet? This was the first time they had spoken and he didn't know much about him. Shoji shook his head, stopping to wrap the coat around Tokoyami even tighter with another small smile which Tokoyami caught.
"You're shivering." Shoji repeated. "You need it more than me."
Tokoyami didn't argue.
They reached their dorm building, Shoji swiping his keycard before pulling the door open. He let Tokoyami go in first, a hand on his back guiding him to the elevator. A few minutes after giving Tokoyami his jacket, he had completely checked out, not responding to Shoji and simply acting on muscle memory. Shoji had to take his arm gently, guiding him through the streets safely and through the gates of the campus. When he asked him a question he was met with silence that left him feeling unsettled.
"You're on the third floor right?" Shoji asked once they were in the elevator. Tokoyami only leant on the wall, closing his eyes tightly. He sighed softly, walking over his him and shook him lightly. Tokoyami jumped and flinched a little, pushing Shoji away who let himself be pushed. At least Tokoyami was now looking at him with non vacant eyes. "Are your roommates home?"
"No- they went home for the week.."
"Okay.. Mine too. I don't like the idea of you being on your own after something like this happened. I can stay on your couch or something-" Shoji suggested. He thought it was a good idea until the words left his mouth and remembered what Tokoyami had just been through. But he didn't want to leave Tokoyami alone when the only other person who he might go to was on a completely different floor. From watching Tokoyami interact with others in class for months he knew he would just stay silent if things got too bad. "I don't want you to be on your own."
"No- It's fine. I want company and I'm not that close with my roommates. They're nice but we're.. I wouldn't be able to talk to them about-" He gestured vaguely. "This. There's also a spare bed in my room so don't worry about the couch."
Tokoyami pressed the third button on the pad, pulling the jacket even closer to his body. He wished he could live in the comfort it provided forever. It was warm but not too suffocating, soft fur lining the inside and fabric that wasn't too loud when it rubbed together. Shoji held in a smile when he saw Tokoyami almost curl into it.
"That might be better." He replied, leaving the elevator to be filled with soft music after. The thirty seconds it took for them to reach the third floor was enough for Tokoyami to almost fall asleep, leaning on the wall behind him. The ding of the elevator jolted him awake before he let Shoji pull him down the corridor. It was empty which Tokoyami was thankful for, the last thing he needed was whispers about him.
Ten minutes later both Tokoyami and Shoji were curled up in bed, close to sleep. Tokoyami still had Shoji's jacket draped over him, eyes half lidded and heavy with sleep. He stared at Shoji across the room who was on his back staring at the ceiling which was lit with a galaxy light from his bedside table. He was desperate to thank him but the words caught in his throat each time he opened it. He knew he wouldn't be able to thank him enough, or apologize enough for the nightmares he was for sure he'd get. Nothing would ever be good enough.
"Hey Sho.. Shoji." The boy looked over at him. His mask had been taken off but he couldn't see his face in the dark. Tokoyami wished he could see it clearly. "Thank you. For everything. I mean it."
"Don't mention it. Just get some rest and we'll discuss it in the morning." Shoji whispered before turning back to the ceiling. Tokoyami did the same. It wasn't long before he was in a deep sleep, curled around his jacket.