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Izuku hadn't experienced much physical affection in his life.
That's not to say that his mom didn't care about Izuku, no he knew that she loved and cared about him. It's just as he got older and more busy he didn't see her very often. She was often working at the hospital whenever he was home.
He loved his mother and he knew that she loved him just as much, if not even more. They simply didn't give physical affection, at least not as much as they did when he was younger.
He obviously didn't get any kind of physical affection from anyone else. No one wanted to be around much less hug a quirkless kid. Not that Izuku could necessarily blame them though. If he was in their shoes he probably wouldn't want to do so either.
That's all to say that Izuku couldn't remember the last time he had been given a proper hug. His Mom would give Izuku side hugs and forehead kisses whenever he saw her and it felt nice but… he couldn't remember the last time someone had bundled him up in their arms and just held him .
He hadn't realized that though. Not until after a particularly bad villain attack during, his mom having rushed to UA the moment she heard about it and wrapped Izuku up in a tight hug.
He had forgotten how nice it was to be held like this. He hadn't realized the tears that had begun to prick up in the corner of his eyes.
He buried his face in his mom's shoulder, letting them fall silently and soak her shirt. She didn't say anything, probably just assuming it was Izuku coping with the villain attack he had just been subjected to.
***
After that Izuku started looking into
why
he had reacted so…
emotionally
that day.
He quickly learned that it was a thing called being touch starved. That he was simply as they had put it ‘starved’ for physical affection. That he wasn't used to it, so it felt odd and even possibly relieving to have that kind of affection again.
After that Izuku also found himself unconsciously seeking out more physical affection. Hugging his mom whenever they were both home and such.
It still wasn't often that it happened though. And Izuku knew that it was because he was busy with his schedule as a hero course student and that his mom was busy at her job.
And when UA became a boarding school… well he honestly didn't think much about it. He would visit his mom whenever he could, so what if he saw her less than he already did? It would be fine. He’d at least have his friends to keep him company now.
***
What he hadn't expected was to get dragged into a class movie night the first night at the dorms. Apparently, everyone else was as homesick as Izuku was and had decided they wanted a distraction.
Not that Izuku was complaining. He was most definitely feeling homesick and was dying for a good distraction. So he didn't mind watching a movie with his friends.
Obviously, with all of them cramming themselves into the living room, it was bound to be at least somewhat cramped. 20 people in even a large space were always going to be.
So, Izuku ended up sitting on the floor, Ochako next to him, and the rest of his friends lounging on the couch above them.
Before the movie started, Izuku feels himself being tugged to lay in Ochako’s lap. Causing him to blink up at her in question.
“Can I braid your hair?” she asks innocently, blinking down at Izuku sweetly.
Izuku stares up at her for a second, slowly comprehending her question before he answered. “Uh sure?”
Ochako smiles brightly at Izuku and starts braiding his hair gently, her nails scratching Izuku’s scalp which made him relax.
The movie started as Ochako continued to play with his hair. And if Izuku was being honest, it felt nice . It also seemed to help them both relax, and they both needed it after the past few weeks they've had.
Izuku ends up falling asleep tho. The scratching and gentle hands running through his hair lull him into a nice dreamless sleep.
***
Izuku feels his consciousness start to come back to him at the sound of soft, fond cooing above him and the snapping of pictures.
“ Guys be quiet you’ll wake him!” he hears Ochako whisper-shout above him, her fingers still nimbly running themselves through his hair.
It felt nice.
Izuku could've probably fallen right back to sleep if his classmates weren't basically shouting at each other to shut up.
His eyes fluttered open, the room going silent as he blinked sleepily up at them. “What's happening?” he asked, pushing himself up and out of Ochako’s lap, rubbing his eyes.
He hears Ochako huff behind him, and when he turns his head to look at her, she's pouting slightly before she answers him. “You fell asleep when I was playing with your hair, I was going to let you keep sleeping but the idiots decided to be loud and wake you up. Apparently, they wanted ‘Izu cuddles’ too and I was hogging them.”
Izuku blinked at her, before looking at the rest of his classmates who looked a bit guilty for waking him. “Izu…. cuddles?” he questions, he was still half asleep and honestly just wanted to go back to sleep but he doubted he could do so anytime soon-
“Yeah!” Mina said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “You’re the class cinnamon roll! Plus Uraraka mentioned how soft your hair is! Who wouldn't want to have some cuddle time with our favorite green boi?”
Izuku stared at her silently, and apparently, he had been quiet for too long as his classmates began to mutter agreement with her statement.
He leans his head to the side, looking at them curiously before smiling. He had never had someone, much less multiple people want to be around Izuku for longer than they had to. Much less want to cuddle.
“Well, my touch-deprived self wouldn't deny that.” he joked lightly.
His classmates frowned slightly at that though, exchanging a look of confusion. But in the end, they didn't say anything.
“WELL!” Ochako exclaims, grabbing Izuku and pulling him back into her lap. “Since you all so rudely interrupted my turn I say I get him for the rest of the movie.”
There were some exclamations of disagreement but Izuku ignored them in favor of smiling slightly to himself, holding back the tears that started to well up in his eyes.
It felt nice that people enjoyed to be around him. Wanted to be around him.
He felt happy.