Chapter Text
Izuku groaned as he dragged himself through the doors of Heights Alliance. He was absolutely exhausted. A combination of classes, training, and back to back patrols mixed poorly with chronic insomnia and anxiety. Add to that the new…development with his quirk, it was no wonder that Izuku felt as if he hadn’t slept in years.
The green haired boy staggered to the common room couch and slumped down. He nearly missed sitting on Katsuki in the process. The blonde squawked, but Izuku was too tired to even apologize. He let out another groan, sinking down into the cushions below him. It felt as if his bones were melting, pooling underneath his skin and seeping between the couch cushions. It felt almost like a balloon deflating, a stuffed pillow losing the last of its stuffing.
Izuku closed his eyes. The warm light of the common room filtered through his eyelids, painting his vision in glowing hues.
A broad hand brushed down his cheek before tracing the lines of his face up to his forehead. The palm of the hand pressed against his forehead. He felt the texture of the other’s callouses against the fragile skin of his forehead. Warmth spread from the point where they were connected.
A gruff voice rumbled gently against his ear. “Shit, nerd. You good?” Izuku made a noncommittal noise, more focused on burrowing further into the warmth around him than replying to the question. “You don’t feel hot. Have you been sleeping enough?
Izuku’s eyes fluttered open at the question. He shook his head, the movement slow and laborious. Katuki frowned, leaning close to him.
“And why the hell not, Deku?” Izuku shrugged in reply. He let his eyes slide closed again, too tired to keep them open and also reply to Katsuki.
“Too many thoughts, not enough space.” He heard Katsuki hum in acknowledgement. The hand on his forehead fell away. Izuku briefly mourned its loss. Not for long, however, because Katsuki proceeded to pull Izuku to the side of his broad chest, a muscled arm wrapping around his shoulders. He melted at the sensation, slumping into Katsuki’s side. The rise and fall of the blonde’s chest was soothing underneath him. A hand came up, scratching gently at his scalp.
If he had been able to, Izuku would have started purring. Katsuki chuckled as Izuku wiggled in his arms.
“C’mon, nerd,” he said, “Bed.” Izuku grumbled and pouted but allowed the blonde to maneuver him up and to the elevator. Izuku slumped against the wall, face half-buried into Katsuki’s muscled shoulder. The elevator chimed as the doors slid open. Izuku let out a long, exhausted sigh before shuffling forwards. Katsuki followed behind him.
The keys in his hand didn’t seem to want to cooperate as Izuku tried to unlock his dorm door. After the third fumbling attempt at inserting the key that eventually led to them clanging against the floor, Katsuki snatched them from the ground before Izuku processed the situation enough to reach down. Katsuki pushed the door open and, standing behind him, grabbed Izuku’s shoulders and steered him to the closet. Izuku blinked slowly as Katsuki rifled through his things. His vision suddenly went dark and the feeling of fabric slid against his hair. He reached up and pulled the darkness away from his eyes to see that the blonde had pulled out a pair of pajamas for him to use. He felt the worn fabric as he slid his thumb through the shirt. A tiny smile made itself known on his face. He looked up at Katsuki.
“Thanks, Kacchan.” Katsuki flushed a tiny bit and looked away.
“‘S whatever, nerd. Just get changed so I can make sure your dumbass actually goes to bed instead of getting into yet another insomnia-induced anxiety spiral.” Katsuki turned fully away from him, reaching back and making a shoo’ing motion with his hand. Izuku snorted but began to change. Even the feeling of taking off his sweaty clothes and slipping into the softness of the proffered pajamas, was soothing, lulling him further into a stupor. The shorts he wore to bed - he was honestly surprised that Katsuki had remembered that he hated wearing long pants to bed - let the gentle air of the dorm air conditioner wash over his skin, soothing the skin that had been trapped in stuffy, uncomfortable, sweaty clothing all day long. Izuku let out a sigh of relief at the sensation.
“You done, dumbass?” Katsuki barked at him. It might’ve just been the sleep deprivation, but Izuku thought that he detected a hint of fondness in the other’s voice.
“Yeah, Kacchan.” Katsuki turned back to face him, rolling his eyes as he steered Izuku to his bed. The blonde flung his bed covers to the side and pushed him into a sitting position. Izuku sank down onto his mattress.
The mattress itself wasn’t the most luxurious thing in the world, but at that moment it felt like heaven. He flopped backwards, barely summoning the energy to swing his legs onto the bed. Izuku let out a groan. His head flopped to the side just in time to see Katsuki turn towards the door. Something inside him ached at the thought of the other leaving. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe it was the loneliness that he felt even when surrounded by other people, maybe it was the comfort that Katsuki’s very presence gave him. Maybe it was the fact that Izuku had a massive feelings-soup for the blonde boy and the lack of sleep had lowered his inhibitions.
Izuku sat up and reached out, catching Katsuki’s sleeve in his hand. Katsuki stopped at the sensation, looking over his shoulder at the other. Suddenly, Izuku felt foolish. He flushed and looked away. His hand was still tangled in Katsuki’s sleeve.
“Somethin’ wrong, nerd?”
“...stay with me?” Izuku’s voice was hesitant. His free hand rubbed distractedly against one of his eyes. Something in Katsuki’s expression softened.
“Sure, nerd. Gimme a minute to get changed.” Izuku yawned, trying to crack his back as he stretched backwards.
“You can borrow somethin’a mine, Kacchan,” Izuku said. His words slurred together a bit. “‘F you can find something that can fit your dumb, Dorito body.” Izuku flopped back down onto his bed as Katsuki snorted at his comment. He drifted as the sound of fabric rustling filled his ears. After a few minutes, the sheets above him shifted.
“Shove over, nerd.” Izuku hummed and flopped onto one side. Rustling filled his ears once again before a heaviness descended over him. It was a magical feeling.
Just as Izuku drifted off, he felt a warm hand brush his bangs back and lips press against his forehead.
“G’night, Izu.”
Izuku mumbled out something that vaguely resembled words before falling into the emptiness of sleep.
Izuku blinked awake in the Vestige realm. Before he could greet any of his predecessors, a loud voice rang out.
“WHERE THE FUCK AM I?”