Work Text:
The halls of U.A. are quiet as Hizashi drags his feet across the floor in the direction of the infirmary, the only sound being his laboured breathing.
Tonight’s patrol was rough, although it would be a lie if he didn’t say every patrol has been rough these past weeks. The moment the school bell rings, he’s out the gates, off to fight and re-capture the escapee villains who were freed by All for One after the Hospital Raid.
These last couple of nights have been especially troublesome due to his overuse of his quirk and thus only being able to rely on his combat skills alone. Hizashi is far from the worst fighter there is, but he knows that he relies on his long distance quirk far too much, to Shouta’s chagrin, and it does become difficult at times. Thankfully, the villains he fought this evening only had quirks that would give him bruises instead of cuts, less of a risk of infections.
Reaching the door to the infirmary, he forces it open, not needing much strength to do so, turns on the blaring lights, making his head throb in pain, and drags himself to the cabinets on the left side of the room. He almost stumbles on his own feet due to his sluggish movements, but manages to catch on to a table to steady himself.
He has to take a moment to just breathe, ignoring the pain running through his body in favour of focusing on the task at hand. Get supplies. He’s started to frequent the infirmary at night a few times a week to patch himself up, always too tired to just gather the supplies and bring them back to his apartment where he’s mostly run out of it. Besides, if he returned to the teachers’ dorms all bloody and bruised and got caught, he’d be interrogated for sure, and that’s something he wants to avoid at all costs.
He opens one of the cabinets and with well-versed movements, takes out what he needs. He grabs a bottle he thinks could be disinfectant, but narrowing his eyes doesn’t help his blurry vision.
Hizashi leans back a little and drags a hand over his tired eyes, pushing his glasses up in the process and winces when his hand presses a bit too hard on his black eye. He lets out a bone deep, tired sigh and curses his exhaustion, frustrated that not even his prescription shades are helping him at this moment.
His head is pounding as he continues to scour the cabinets, trying to find what he’s looking for, and he brings a hand up to his all-but-fallen gel-crisped hair. He hasn’t managed to get it to it’s normal glorious height, lacking the energy every morning to even make it stand up half-way, and now, the sad excuse that is his hair hangs limp down his back, dry and in need of a wash.
Really, all he wants to do is to shower, go to sleep and then wake up at an ungodly hour and continue working.
Working. The only thing keeping him sane and taking his mind off of the reality that his life, and society as a whole, has become.
“Stealing school supplies?”
Hizashi jumps, letting out a screech and by some miracle manages to catch the gauze he threw up into the air, his reflexes somehow still working. Turning around, he’s dumbfounded to see Shouta standing in the doorway to the infirmary, his new prosthetic leg visible and one arm holding his crutch for balance.
“Eraser!” Hizashi rasps out, wincing from how hoarse his voice sounds. “You startled me!”
Shouta studies him for a moment.
“You sound terrible.” He deadpans and Hizashi snorts humorlessly.
“You wound me Sho.” Hizashi says, coughing when his throat starts itching from how dry it is. “But everything is a-okay, just needed to get-” another cough “-some stuff and then I’m out!”
Hizashi turns around again, feeling Shouta’s piercing gaze on his back and almost folds under it. He takes out the last of what he needs, putting it on the table and debates if he should treat his wounds here or at his apartment at the dorms just to get away from the other man. But that would risk getting caught and confronted by any of the other teachers and now that Shouta has found him, he’s not gonna let Hizashi go so easily.
Glancing over his shoulder, Hizashi startles when he sees Shouta has moved to stand in the middle of the room, cursing himself for being too exhausted to even have heard the other man move.
“Hizashi.” Shouta says firmly. Hizashi turns to face his friend, making sure his sunglasses are hiding his eyes, and he forces a smile despite it hurting from the bruise on his cheek and his busted lip.
They stand in silence, Hizashi waiting for Shouta to continue but he just watches the blond, studying his every move. Hizashi doesn’t meet his eye, feeling self-conscious under the other man’s gaze.
Shouta sighs.
“Your students are worried about you, you know?” He says finally. “They’ve told me you come to class looking tired and drained, about how you can barely speak anymore.”
Hizashi closes his eyes, but almost loses his balance because of it and has to turn around to grab the cabinet, scowling at the hardwood despite it worsening his headache.
“The moment school ends, you’re out the doors, returning at god knows what hour and I know you’re not at the radio station since they put you on hiatus so you could fulfil your hero duties. I’ve barely seen you these past months. Even when you are there, either in the teachers lounge or during lunch, you’re not really… there .”
Hizashi stays quiet.
“Hizashi, when was the last time you slept?” The voice is much closer than Hizashi anticipated and he jerks around, finding Shouta has gotten closer to him and is taking another step forward. He suddenly feels like a cornered animal and his entire being is urging him to create as much distance between them as possible.
It might be a dickish move. It definitely is. But Hizashi takes advantage of Shouta’s lack of mobility and hurries around him to the other side of the room, ignoring the faint look of hurt on Shouta’s face as he does so.
“I’m fine! Really!” Hizashi tries, but he only ends up having a coughing fit, thinking how he desperately needs something to soothe his throat. Chancing a glance up, he watches as Shouta schools his expression from worry to something more serious.
“Hizashi, are you listening to yourself? You’ve overused your quirk and can barely talk. You’re not taking care of yourself and one of these days you won’t be able to get by on your combat skills alone.”
Hizashi makes sure to hold onto something when he shuts his eyes close again, feeling what he can only assume is his overlooked emotions start to bubble to the surface in his chest. Aware of Shouta’s previous actions, he hears Shouta take a step closer to him again, but he doesn’t move. Not yet.
“Like I said man, I’m fine. Everything’s just a little all over the place right now, and since I wasn’t badly injured after the raid and am perfectly fine, I have no reason to just lay around when society as we know it is collapsing and villains are everywhere, looking for their next victim.” Hizashi forces another smile, turning towards the dark-haired man. He knows his fake smiles never fool Shouta, but it’s always worth a try.
Unfortunately, his tangent doesn’t earn him the approval he was hoping for and Shouta studies him quietly.
“You’re injured now.” He says slowly and Hizashi waves a hand in dismissal in his friend’s direction.
“It’s mostly just bruises, better than cuts. It’s fine.”
“Have you been in contact with your agency? Do they know you’re working overtime?” Shouta asks suspiciously and Hizashi’s smile falters for a second, his silence enough of an answer.
Shouta sighs again, realising trying to confront the Voice Hero head on will get him nowhere. So he changes tactics.
“Hizashi, you’ve helped me more than has ever been necessary and I can’t express enough how thankful I am for everything you’ve done for me, and I want to help you too.”
“Oh, no… Shouta, you-” another cough, “You don’t have to do that. I mean, you've got it worse than me. I’m fine.”
“Hizashi. I wasn’t the only one who lost two old friends.”
Hizashi feels his emotions bubble up inside of him, like someone is making stew with his feelings. He huffs out a humourless laugh.
“Well I wasn’t the one who lost a leg and an eye, so logically speaking, I’d say you should really be getting the help right now.”
“Mic, this isn’t a competition. You’re allowed to feel things. Especially after everything that has happened! Why won’t you let yourself feel?”
“Oh that’s rich coming from you Mr. ‘I don’t have emotions.’” Hizashi knows he’s being mean, but he can’t let Shouta see him for the fraud he is. He can’t let Shouta see how weak he actually is.
“Stop deflecting! Please Hizashi-” Shouta takes a step closer and Hizashi panics.
“Don’t-”
“Hizashi please, you need to rest.” Shouta almost begs. “If not for yourself, do it for the students, or for Eri and Hitoshi, or even for me. Please!”
Shouta takes another step forward and Hizashi feels his lungs seizing up. He has to create distance. Hizashi scurries around Shouta again, narrowly avoiding the other man trying to grab his arm and he ends up in the middle of the room, his breathing speeding up.
“What are you so afraid of?” Shouta implores.
“Nothing!” Hizashi tries to shout, but it only comes out as a grating screech.
“Bullshit! You’re standing in the middle of the fucking infirmary, battered and bruised, stealing supplies and not telling anyone you’re hurt for some absurd reason. People are worried about you.”
“People should mind their own business!”
“We’re heroes, that’s the last thing we do.” Shouta rebuts. “Hizashi, you’re allowed to be hurt! You’re allowed to be affected by everything that’s going on! You’re allowed to grieve!”
Hizashi brings his hands up into his hair, grabbing at the pathetic mess, and starts pacing back and forth. He can feel the cauldron starting to boil over and he doesn’t know how much longer he can hold it in.
“Hizashi please!”
His pace quickens and his breathing gets more and more frantic.
“What are you afraid of?!” Shouta almost shouts and Hizashi bubbles over.
“I’m afraid of everything!” He screams, his quirk only giving him some generous leeway in power. He grabs harder at his hair. “I’m afraid that the moment I stop doing anything I will have to come to terms with how fucked up everything is. Nemuri’s dead. Oboro is dead, but he’s not, but he’s our enemy and there’s nothing we can do for him and we have to fight him if he ever escapes! You lost your fucking leg and eye and Erasure is barely there anymore! I’m afraid that the moment I stop moving I won’t be able to get up again and people will continue to suffer because I didn’t do enough to protect them!”
Another coughing fit overtakes him and he doubles over, his legs finally giving out from exhaustion and he lands hard on his knees. His glasses fall off his face and slide in front of him on the floor as he shuts his eyes close. Hard. Soon his coughing turns into sobs and he ends up a pathetic mess on the floor of the infirmary, in the middle of the night, in front of his only surviving old friend, who must think of him as a disgrace after his outburst.
Hizashi’s sobs echo throughout the silence and he can’t manage to calm himself down. Everything he kept inside himself, all his pent-up emotions are streaming down his cheeks and he knows he doesn’t look or sound very flattering right now. Like a small child having a temper tantrum because they didn’t get candy.
His head feels loud and he just wants it all to stop. He just wants to open his eyes and see his friends still alive and well and whole, and not the shithole his life has become.
Suddenly, there’s a light thump next to him and a second later, arms curl around his upper body and he yelps as he’s pulled upright and brought into Shouta’s chest, where he hugs the blond tightly.
Hizashi is breathless for a split second before another sob escapes him and he hides his face in Shouta’s shoulder, wanting to cringe at the ugly sounds he’s making. But Shouta doesn’t say anything, he only holds Hizashi closer when the blond sobs almost hysterically.
Hizashi knows he’ll be very embarrassed by this later, but he can’t help but feel relieved when all the ugly emotions he’s been keeping within exit out of him, and as his sobbing starts to subside, his whole body becomes jello against Shouta and he wonders if he can just fall asleep right here and now.
They both stay silent as Hizashi’s sobs turn into sniffles and the blond can’t help the warmth blooming inside his chest whenever a sniffle makes his body shake so violently Shouta tightens his hold. It’s all just so warm and soft and Hizashi lets himself believe that he can really have this, have Shouta always by his side as more than just a friend. Hizashi feels Shouta press his cheek against the top of his head and it’s warm and everything’s just so warm and-
“I love you.” Hizashi blurts out.
Shouta stills and Hizashi’s words catch up with him a moment later and he knows that he’s messed it all up now. More than 15 years of friendship down the gutter, all because Hizashi couldn’t keep his dumb, stupid mouth-
“I know.” Shouta mutters softly and now it’s Hizashi’s turn to tense up. He keeps his head on Shouta’s shoulder, eyes wide and he blinks quickly, not quite believing what he’s hearing.
But Hizashi also knows.
They’ve been by each other’s sides for such a long time and a part of him has always acknowledged that the way they interact with each other goes beyond any form of friendship. They’re close friends, yes, but they are also each other’s emergency contact. They are the first faces they see whenever one of them wakes up in the hospital. They know when the other gets overwhelmed with life and they take care of each other through thick and thin.
Nemuri was also a part of it, but never to the same degree as Hizashi and Shouta are for each other. She was there when the other truly couldn’t help and she was there when they both needed more than just each other. She knew how to rile Hizashi up to make him laugh again and coax a smile out of Shouta when he was especially grumpy.
She was their big sister and she was there for them.
And now it’s just them, and in a way, it has only been them for a very long time.
So of course the answer to “I love you” would be “I know”, because they both know they care for each other beyond what a friendship is.
Hizashi slowly relaxes and nods against Shouta’s shoulder and a moment later, he feels the other man press a kiss to the top of his head, but he quickly retracts, taking a hold of Hizashi’s arms and pulls the Voice Hero back so they can look at each other.
“Your hair is disgusting.” Shouta deadpans and Hizashi lets out a croaky laugh, bringing a hand up to wipe his eyes.
“That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”
Shouta’s expression softens.
“Probably a little, sorry.” He smiles and Hizashi can’t help what that does to his poor fragile heart.
“‘s fine.” The blond mumbles, looking to the side as he feels his face growing warm.
“I am sorry though. I should’ve seen how much you were hurting and stepped in sooner.” Shouta says in a more serious tone and he brings his hands up to cup Hizashi’s face when new tears emerge from the blond’s eyes. “I’m sorry Hizashi.”
Hizashi’s throat constricts and his voice feels weaker than it has ever felt, so in lieu of an answer, he holds onto Shouta’s wrists like they’re a lifeline and closes his eyes. Shouta continues to wipe away the tears running down his cheeks with his thumbs and Hizashi almost melts from the touch.
When the floor becomes too uncomfortable to sit on for both of them, Shouta carefully lets go of Hizashi’s face and stands up, offering a hand to him to help him up. Hizashi grabs his glasses before accepting the hand gratefully, swaying a bit when he’s back on his feet again, but Shouta grabs a hold of one of his arms to help him regain his balance.
“Thanks.” Hizashi whispers, seeing as that is as loud as he can get after his outburst and overuse of his voice.
Shouta just smiles and leans in close to press a kiss to Hizashi’s forehead and Hizashi knows his eyes are blown out of proportion as he brings a hand up to touch the spot that was kissed. Hizashi gulps, feeling his face flush violently as Shouta looks at him with an amused smile. He then lets go of Hizashi’s arm and makes his way over to where the Voice Hero placed the medical supplies earlier.
“Ah-” Hizashi coughs but hurries over to Shouta’s side. “I can take that.” He reassures.
Shouta studies him for a second, looking the blond up and down, assessing his injuries.
“We can take some of this, I have enough back at my apartment.” Shouta declares and Hizashi sputters for a second, watching as his friend? Partner? Picks up some gauze and disinfectant, leaving the rest on the table and then turns back to him and gestures to the door with his head.
“What…?” Hizashi croaks.
“I’m bringing you back to my apartment at the dorms so we can get you patched up.” Shouta explains, giving Hizashi no room to argue as he limps over to the door, one hand on the crutch and the other holding the supplies.
Hizashi quickly follows suit and takes the items out of the other man’s arms so he doesn’t have to struggle anymore than he already does. They turn off the lights in the infirmary and close the door behind them as they make their way down the hallway.
“What about your kids?” Hizashi finds himself asking as they are nearing the front doors to the school. Shouta snorts quietly.
“Eri is staying with Thirteen and Hitoshi is spending the night at his class dorm.” He explains and Hizashi nods absentmindedly.
Their walk back to the teachers’ dorms is slow and lethargic. Hizashi focuses on making sure he doesn’t faceplant from the sheer exhaustion of the evening and with Shouta still getting used to his new leg, it takes longer for him to get around.
Once they finally reach the building and enter, everything is dark and they head over to the elevator to go up to their shared floor.
The teachers’ dorms are much larger than the students’, seeing as the floors don't consist of several smaller rooms, instead there are about two large apartments for each floor. When the dorm system was first introduced, the teachers were allowed to choose which apartment they wanted and it became very clear early on that no one wanted to share a floor with Hizashi, often times jokingly stating the fear of him being too loud and how he would only wake them up in the early hours of the morning due to his early schedule.
Hizashi, of course, had smiled and waved all the comments off. He was used to them, it was things that had often been said about him since he was a child. And although they did sting a little, especially since it came from full fledged heroes, whose job it was to help students with their quirks, and their lack of faith in Hizashi’s control of his own quirk, he managed through it. Nemuri had waited a while longer to move in due to different factors in her life, so she had no say in which floor she got once she finally moved in. Shouta, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate to move in next door to Hizashi, stating it was closer and easier to just walk across the hall for their weekly grading nights. Hizashi never looked into it, taking the dark-haired man’s explanation without any questions.
Looking back on it, Hizashi can now see a lot of things Shouta has done for him that he never fully acknowledged before. Like when Shouta started working at U.A. a few months after himself and an old teacher they had from when they were students still worked there, and remembered Hizashi’s quirk very well, continuously made comments and berated the Voice Hero every time she deemed him to be too loud. It got to a point where she even blamed him for the students becoming ‘loud’ and ‘rowdy’ and ‘undisciplined’. Hizashi considered quitting at some point due to it all. But then, only a month later, she was fired, and if looks could kill, the glare she gave Shouta as she left would’ve definitely been fatal.
Or when Hizashi laid out his theory of a traitor on the table after the Forest Camp incident and some of the other teachers started becoming suspicious of him for even bringing it up. They would stop their conversations mid-way whenever he entered the room or ask him weirdly specific questions, as if trying to find any sustainable evidence that would point him as the traitor. It felt very isolating, especially when even All Might of all people sometimes quieted down around him. But then, it all stopped. Hizashi never quite knew what caused it, but when he caught Shouta glare at a fellow hero who had stopped talking when passing the duo in the hallway, Hizashi had a hunch.
The elevator dings, snapping the Hizashi out of his thoughts, and they step out. Shouta takes the supplies out of Hizashi’s hands and the blond looks at him a little confused.
“Go get some clean clothes, you need to shower, I’ll wash your hair. Then I’ll look at your injuries.” Shouta explains, already making his way to his own door. “And don’t fall asleep.” He adds as an afterthought.
Hizashi just continues to stare at him dumbly until the other man looks back and waves his hand, gesturing for Hizashi to do as he was told.
Hizashi gulps and then nods vacantly before heading over to his own apartment, and the moment the door closes behind him his legs almost give out and he desperately holds onto the wall so he doesn’t fall over.
His brain is simultaneously going 100 miles an hour as it is empty and devoid of anything. He feels numb and he realises he should probably have more of a reaction to the prospect of Shouta washing his hair, but he’s running on autopilot and decides to just do as he was told. He sheds his directional speaker, headphones, jacket and boots, as well as changing from his usual Present Mic shades to his normal civilian glasses. He then walks through the empty apartment to his bedroom where he gets a pair of sweatpants, boxers and an oversized t-shirt.
As Hizashi’s about to leave, he catches himself in the hallway mirror and winces at the unflattering image staring back at him. Bruised cheek, split lip, black eye, a big cut on his forehead with dry blood around it.
All in all, he looks like shit. Complete and utter shit.
Hizashi wants to laugh. The revelation that Shouta loves him back feels so far from reality. Like everything that is happening right now is just a figment of his imagination and that Shouta would never reciprocate his feelings, especially looking at him now. However, the rational part of Hizashi’s brain tells him he’s being irrational, that he has seen Shouta looking far worse, especially after the USJ incident, and that they’ve stuck by each other’s sides no matter what.
Whether this is a dream or not, Hizashi decides, he hopes that he’ll at least be allowed to stay in it for just a little while longer.
He makes his way out of the apartment and across the hall and knocks. Only a few seconds later, the door opens and Shouta stands on the other side in a t-shirt and basketball shorts, now showing the bandaged stump that is left of his right leg along with the metal poking out of it.
Shouta doesn’t say anything, instead moving to the side so Hizashi can enter. As he makes his way into the living room, he almost steps on Pearl, the grey short hair Hizashi gifted Shouta on his birthday a few years back.
The cat meows at him and he smiles down at her as she walks around his legs, demanding attention.
“She’s missed you, you know.” Shouta says, walking over to the pair to pull at Hizashi’s hand before leading him to the bathroom.
Hizashi knows his face is probably all pink again, but he can’t find the energy to care much. Pearl meows after them, but gives up once it’s clear that they’re busy and instead walks over to the couch where Muna, the brown long haired tabby, is sleeping.
As they enter the bathroom, Shouta takes Hizashi’s clothes out of his hands and places them on the sink where a first-aid kit and a few towels are laying too, gesturing for him to sit on the toilet lid. Hizashi does as he’s told and starts to absentmindedly unbutton the white shirt he wears under his jacket, but his fingers are clumsy and he can’t seem to get any of the buttons through the holes.
He hears Shouta sigh, but there’s no malice in it. Instead, he makes his way over and takes over the task of undressing Hizashi.
It isn’t the first time something like this has happened, funnily enough. Seeing as they are each other’s emergency contacts, they are the ones who take care of the other when they can’t take care of themselves. They’ve seen each other naked before, but Hizashi supposes it’s a bit different now with the change in their relationship. However, he doesn’t dwell on that thought right now and is just glad to finally be able to take a proper shower.
Shouta helps him stand up so he can get into the bathtub where a plastic stool has been placed and Hizashi sits down on it. Shouta positions his crutches against the wall before carefully manoeuvring himself over the edge of the tub with his leg so he can stand behind the blond. He then takes the showerhead and turns it on, letting the water run down Hizashi’s back and shoulders and the Voice Hero quickly feels himself relax.
“Is the temperature alright?” Shouta asks and Hizashi hums.
Shouta carefully removes Hizashi’s glasses and hearing aids and places them on the sink before starting to wet his hair, making sure nothing gets in the blond’s face. Hizashi is given the showerhead to hold, keeping it close to his chest, when Shouta starts shampooing his hair with the shampoo Hizashi insisted Shouta use.
Hizashi couldn’t possibly let the other man use those cheap 2-in-1 bottles for much longer once they started living next to each other, so as a way to get his friend to actually take care of his hair, Hizashi ‘accidentally’ bought too much of his usual hair products and gave some to Shouta to “get rid of some, because I have too much, Sho!”.
Shouta obviously knew he was lying. Hizashi? Having too much hair product? Impossible. But he didn’t comment on it, and if Shouta’s hair looked much healthier and softer only a few days later, it was a secret between them.
Shouta’s hands are rough and calloused, yet soft as they scrub at Hizashi’s scalp and all he wants to do is fall asleep right then and there, but then he would probably fall and crack his head open on the side of the tub, and while that does sound appealing, letting Shouta continue to wash his hair is the much better option out of the two.
Once Shouta has finished, he carefully sits down on the edge of the tub again to manoeuvre himself to the other side and Hizashi watches as he stretches and reaches for his crutches. A sudden bout of panic fills him at the thought of Shouta leaving and he instinctively reaches out to grab the other man’s hand. Shouta looks back at him a little startled.
“Don’t go.” Hizashi rasps out, adding “Please.”
Shouta’s features soften and he makes his way back and sits down on the toilet lid. Carefully, Hizashi sits down in the tub, pushing the stool to one end so he can lean against the edge of the cool porcelain and just stares at the dark-haired man, who is looking back at him.
Hizashi does sit up from time to time, washing himself, but his movements are sluggish and sometimes pained and Shouta has to help him wash his back, but the other man doesn’t complain, instead being careful and mindful of Hizashi’s injuries and once he’s done, he helps the blond up, so he can sit down on the toilet lid, a towel draped around his thin figure.
Hizashi knows he must look very gaunt, seeing as he hasn’t been eating as he should since everything went to hell and hero society as they know it started to collapse after Gigantomachia rummaged his way through death and destruction towards Shigaraki during the Hospital Raid and-
A towel is suddenly placed on his head and it snaps him out of his downward spiralling thoughts. Hizashi looks up to see Shouta focused on the task of drying the blond’s hair and he can’t help the swell of warmth he feels in his chest at the gesture.
Shouta once again helps him with drying his back and makes sure to not agitate his wounds. Once he’s dry, Hizashi puts on his hearing aids and boxers as Shouta places the first-aid box closer to the edge of the sink. He then lifts the stool Hizashi sat on earlier out of the bathtub and sits on it as he starts looking over the injuries on his chest. There isn’t much that can be done there since it’s mostly just covered in bruises, but the few cuts littering his skin get disinfected and every time Hizashi winces, Shouta whispers a quiet apology.
Shouta then moves on to Hizashi’s legs and then arms. After treating a particularly nasty cut on the blond’s hand, Shouta brings Hizashi’s hand up to his lips and presses a soft kiss over the bandages and Hizashi feels himself fall more in love with the man by the second.
When they move on to his back, Shouta parts Hizashi’s now soft and flowy hair to each side and then surprises him by kissing him again, this time on the back of his neck. Hizashi jerks around, knowing his eyes are huge and he brings a hand up to hold his neck, just staring at the dark-haired man.
Shouta studies him for a moment.
“Was that too much?” He asks quietly and Hizashi can hear the underlying anxiety in his tone.
Hizashi shakes his head, but that only makes him dizzy, forcing him to hold a hand to his head, so he smiles instead, something softer, and looks at Shouta with only love and admiration.
“No.” He whispers, his throat itching from the use. “Just surprised me.”
Shouta looks at him some more, before nodding, a small smile appearing on his face as well, as he continues with his task. Finally, he bandages up Hizashi’s middle and then helps the blond into the clean clothes he brought with him.
“Thank you.” Hizashi says quietly, leaning his head against Shouta’s where he’s sitting on the stool.
Shouta brings a hand up and cups Hizashi’s cheek, brushing his thumb against it and the blond can’t help but let out a long weary sigh, closing his eyes and leaning into the touch.
He dreads having to wake up in the morning and go back to the cruel world they live in, only content that it’s at least Saturday, so no students to hide his problems from.
“I called your agency.” Shouta says and Hizashi opens his eyes, realising he said all of that out loud. “I told them you had to go on leave due to medical reasons.”
Hizashi just stares at him.
The underlying panic that’s been coursing through his veins resurfaces and the feelings of uselessness hit him with full force. He shouldn’t have to go on medical leave. He shouldn’t have to sit here in Shouta’s bathroom being taken care of because he can’t take care of himself. People will notice his absence and think of him as a fraud, that’s he’s just as bad as all the heroes who quit after the raid.
Hizashi curls in on himself despite his injuries objecting to that form of movement.
But he doesn’t care because he has to keep up. He can’t let anyone see how weak he actually is, how afraid he is of losing everyone. He has to keep on smiling so people don’t lose hope. He has to-
“Hizashi!”
Hizashi’s head snaps up and he’s met with dark eyes staring back at him, concern written all over Shouta’s face.
Oh. He said all of that out loud again, didn’t he? He really must be tired.
Shouta just stares at him, looking troubled. Slowly, he brings his hands up and cups Hizashi’s face and leans in so that their foreheads are touching. Hizashi watches as the other man closes his eye, letting out a heavy breath before opening it again, looking at the blond with a fierce gleam in his eye.
“You are not weak. You are not a fraud. You’re human, and you have limits, and believe me when I say that you have done so much and you keep on doing so much and you deserve to rest.” He says and Hizashi can feel his breath against his lips.
Shouta slowly leans away, only to lean in again and place a soft kiss on Hizashi’s forehead and the blond shuts his eyes, feeling new tears spring up in his eyes. Shouta ushers them away with his thumbs and when Hizashi opens his eyes again they meet Shouta’s.
They just stare at each other for a moment before both leaning in and meeting in the middle in something soft and quiet.
Hizashi has imagined what it would feel like to kiss Shouta, always coming away with the expectation that fireworks would go off and he’d feel butterflies in his stomach.
He doesn’t feel any of that now, just the calloused hands on his cheeks, wiping away at the tears streaming down his face and the soft feeling of having Shouta so close to him, that this is something he’s allowed to have.
They part from each other and Shouta leans his forehead against Hizashi’s again, an easy smile on his face, and if Hizashi looks closely, he can see pink dust the other man’s cheeks. It makes the blond want to break out in song and tell the world how much he loves the man in front of him.
But he does none of that.
Instead, he leans in again and captures Shouta’s lips once more and they just stay like that, enjoying each other’s company and Hizashi finally lets himself fully relax.
As they part once more, Hizashi lays his head on Shouta’s shoulder and Shouta wraps his arms around him, holding him closely. Neither of them say anything until Hizashi yawns, making the dark-haired man laugh softly.
“Come on, off to bed.” He says and Hizashi hums, but doesn’t move. Shouta shakes him lightly and leans away, forcing the blond to sit up. He can barely keep his eyes open and a second later, there’s a hand on his cheek again and Shouta pecks his lips before standing up.
Hizashi whines quietly at the lack of touch and when he opens his eyes again he watches as Shouta reaches for his crutches and turns around, waiting for the blond to follow. Hizashi puts on his glasses and then gathers up his remaining strength and stands, following the dark-haired man out of the bathroom and down the hall to his bedroom.
When the dorm system was introduced and everyone moved in, there was no need to go furniture shopping, seeing as that was something the school could afford to offer everyone, which meant that everyone was given a bed. Hizashi is very grateful right now that he managed to convince Shouta to not throw his out for his sleeping bag.
Shouta guides Hizashi to the bed and pats one side of it before walking around and sitting down on the other side, leaning his crutches against the wall. Hizashi just stares for a few seconds, still questioning if all of this is real. If when he lays down in bed, he’ll wake up in his own apartment, lonely and beaten from neglecting to take care of himself. The thought is almost suffocating and he doesn’t know if he will be able to handle waking up alone again after this.
“Hizashi.”
He looks up through blurry vision. How much can one man cry?
Shouta grabs his hand and pulls at it gently, prompting Hizashi to lay down and after a moment, he does so, exhaustion overtaking his entire being once his body hits the soft mattress.
He doesn’t stop crying and he feels a hand on his arm, guiding him so he’s laying on his side, faced towards Shouta, who’s also laying on his side. Shouta removes his hand from Hizashi’s arm and places it instead on the blond's cheek.
Hizashi doesn’t realise he’s closed his eyes until he opens them again and is met with a soft expression, making Hizashi’s chest swell with affection for the man in front of him.
“I love you.” Hizashi can’t help but say, meaning it with his whole heart.
Shouta stays quiet but pulls the blond close to him and he presses a kiss to Hizashi’s forehead, an action that has become so familiar to him in this new change in their relationship.
“Sleep.” Shouta whispers before gently removing Hizashi’s hearing aids and glasses, placing them on the bedside table behind him.
Hizashi nuzzles into Shouta’s chest and closes his eyes, feeling the dark-haired man hold him closer, and for the first time in months, Hizashi knows he’ll get a good night's sleep.