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The chime of Izuku's phone pulled him out of sleep. He rolled over and felt for it, nearly knocking it off his bedside table as he reached for it. The screen was too bright to his sleep-heavy eyes, but he swallowed down a yawn and tried to squint into the light to see why his phone had chimed.
He had a message from Todoroki. Izuku sat up, wide awake now, and swiped his finger over the screen to bring up the message.
-HL
Izuku threw his blankets off, nearly tangling them around his legs in his haste to climb out of bed. He didn't bother with his slippers or his robe, feet sliding across the carpet as he rushed out of his room.
“It's easy, Todoroki,” Izuku had said, on a sunny day when his friend's nightmares seemed too far away to bother him. “If you need me, just text me. Text anything, even if you can't come up with the words. If I get some random letters from you in the middle of the night, I'll know you need me and I'll come running.”
He tried to keep his steps silent in the halls as he ran, not wanting to wake their classmates. Todoroki was on the fifth floor, between Sero and Satou, but Izuku didn't want to wait for the elevator. Up and around the stairs, heart pounding in his chest, praying that no one would be awake at this hour to question him.
Todoroki kept a spare key to his dorm behind his nameplate, and Izuku found that easily enough. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath and gather himself before gently tapping on the door.
“Shouto? I'm coming in,” he called, slowly unlocking the door and pushing it open. The faint light from the hall threw his shadow across the darkened room, to the lone figure curled up on the futon.
Closing the door behind him, Izuku slowly made his way across Todoroki's room. He kept his steps quiet, telegraphing every move he made. Kept his voice low and soft. Used Todoroki's first name. All the things that had helped ease his friend's anxieties in the past.
He made a brief stop at the desk before coming over to the futon. A teddy bear, dressed in an All Might costume with spikes of yellow felt hair, sat on the shelf above Todoroki's desk. It was incongruous with the rest of his traditional-style room, but Izuku knew it had been a gift from their homeroom teacher, Todoroki's guardian, and was important to him.
“Hey, Shouto,” he said gently, lowering himself to his knees at the edge of the futon. “I got your message.”
Todoroki's phone lay on the floor near his outstretched hand. His fingers were trembling, and Izuku slowly rested his hand on top of Todoroki's. “I'm here,” he said simply. “I'm right here.”
The other boy shifted, like he was trying to look at Izuku but couldn't quite turn his head all the way. Izuku gave a sad smile, heart aching to see his friend in such a state. “Can I touch you?”
Todoroki didn't answer, but Izuku rested his hand on his back. When Todoroki didn't flinch away, Izuku rubbed his hand in a gentle circle. “Got room in there for two?”
He set the All Might bear to the side and lowered himself down to lie beside Todoroki. He kept rubbing circles across his friend's back, offering him a smile when Todoroki finally managed to look at him.
He didn't touch his head or his neck, or his arms above his hands. His back and his legs were safe, as those didn't seem to trigger any bad memories. It was a long wait, but Izuku lay there in the dark, rubbing Todoroki's back, until there was a hint of recognition in his eyes.
“Can I hug you?” he whispered. When Todoroki nodded, he scooted in close, wrapping both arms around the other boy. Todoroki shuddered and lowered his head to rest his forehead against Izuku's shoulder.
“Tighter,” Todoroki whispered.
Izuku tightened his grip. The pressure always helped bring Todoroki back from whatever nightmare dimension he'd been trapped in. He squeezed until his muscles shook from the strain, until Todoroki's body went limp and his hands feebly grabbed the back of Izuku's baggy T-shirt.
“I'm here, Shouto,” Izuku murmured. “I'm right here.”
Todoroki was shaking in earnest now. Izuku kept up a low conversation, talking about anything and nothing, keeping up a steady stream of his voice in his friend's ear.
He knew how much the silence hurt sometimes. How it could feel like something was waiting inside of it, like another blow was hanging over your head.
“You're safe. It's all okay.”
Todoroki shook his head. “He's...”
“He's in Spain. He can't hurt you anymore.”
Todoroki choked out a heartbreaking sob and clung to Izuku. “He's always here,” he hissed. “He's in my head, I can't....”
“So am I.” He kept his voice soft, but firm. “I will always be here, Shouto. Whenever you need me.”
“It doesn't feel real.”
Izuku peeled one arm away from Todoroki to grab the All Might bear. He pressed it against Todoroki's chest, and one of Todoroki's arms came around automatically to grab it.
“This is real,” Izuku said. “Remember him? Mr. Aizawa bought him for you, remember?”
Todoroki curled around the bear, one arm still clinging to Izuku, his face still buried against Izuku's shoulder. It grieved Izuku, thinking about how easy it was fro his friend to make himself look so small.
“If Bear Might is here, then this has to be real,” Izuku continued. “This is real. I'm here, and you're here, and your father is on the other side of the world. He can't hurt you anymore.” He tightened his hold around Todoroki, angling his head to rest it against his friend's. “I won't let him touch you ever again.”
He hadn't been allowed to visit Todoroki in the hospital after his father hurt him. Aizawa had said his injuries were too severe and the situation was too delicate to allow visitors. When Todoroki had finally come back to school, he'd been pale and quiet, and it had taken days for him to return to something close to normal.
He could feel Todoroki's scars under the thin fabric of his pajama shirt. Long, rough lines from where the caning had split him open. Todoroki had told him about more—about countless scars that his father had had wiped away to cover his own sins.
“Midoriya?” Todoroki's voice, roughened by emotions, broke the silence. “Can you...?”
“I can stay,” Izuku said. He shifted around on the futon until he could tuck Todoroki's head under his chin, wrapping the taller boy up in his arms as tight as he could. “I can stay as long as you need me.”
He waited, listening to the hitch in Todoroki's breathing as his friend broke down, silent tears buried against Izuku's T-shirt.
“I'm here, Shouto,” he whispered. “I'm still here.”