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Katsuki couldn't sleep. He had issues with sleep ever since the sludge villain incident. He hadn't told anyone, of course, but it was definitely something he struggled with.
He'd always been skilled in beauty products. He could swipe a perfect line of eyeliner, figure out how to make his skin clearer than any other teen, could contour anyone's face to make them look their best. Most importantly, he could cover up things he didn't want to show.
Face masks helped his skin stay refreshed even with minimal rest. Concealer and blending kept those darker rings hidden. Eye drops made his eyes brighter. Caffeinated drinks and teas kept his mind and body awake.
All in all, Katsuki could continue on his path of self destruction without anyone picking up on it. A definite win.
Or, it was until he heard quiet cry-like sounds at two in the morning. It was on his floor, that was obvious, but he couldn't tell who.
Now Katsuki was a very curious person. He knew he wasn't the most social person, or even a friendly person, but he did look for problems and attempt to defuse them.
More often than not those solutions were always to help said person blow through it at the gym or casually listen to their problems under the guise of not really listening or caring.
Katsuki was good at indirectly confronting people in that aspect. He didn't know how to or want to face someone in a position where it could trigger himself, so he compromised.
That being said, it probably wasn't the greatest idea to creep around the dorm at two in the morning to follow a sound he couldn't confidently place.
Too late to turn back now, he was already invested. He couldn't stop now.
He padded through the halls walking toe to heel. He hadn't bothered to slip on socks so he could feel the carpet underneath his feet. It felt as it looked, to say the least. It wasn't soft at all, but it wasn't prickly either.
From his position as he headed towards the elevator, Katsuki could distinctly recognize the sounds now. It was definitely crying. Soft, breathy sobs that were muffled, yet obviously not in a dorm room.
The elevator wasn't in a wall, it was more of a collum through the halls, creating a barrier between all of the halls so they didn't directly connect. It was the middle of the floor, the best chance for him to discern where the sounds came from.
Fortunately he didn't have to investigate very much. A figure sat against the elevator, curled in on themselves and not facing his hall.
"You good?" Katsuki asked, keeping his voice low. The person jerked, turning to face him in a panicked way.
The low lighting around the elevator finally lit their face. It was Midoriya. He should've been able to tell by their silhouette, yet he hadn't really been prioritizing things.
"Kacchan?" The boy's voice was shaking and choked.
"Who else would I be?" He replied as he slid down the elevator next to the boy. He kept a distance between them, he didn't know what kind of response close contact could result in. He would rather play it safe in that aspect.
Katsuki was unhappily knowledgeable on the subject of mental health, though he did have nothing to do while awake for hours on end.
"Did I... Did I wake you?"
With a soft sigh, he shook his head. "I don't sleep. What'cha upset about?"
Midoriya wiped at his nose with the edge of his shirt, sniffling. "I'm falling behind in class. I can't- It's... It's hard to focus on my quirks drawbacks and classwork. Everything, really. Sorry for dumping this on you"
"It's fine. I can give you a copy of my notes or whatever if that helps" He offered, suppressing a yawn. He should've drank one of his caffeinated teas.
The curly haired boy next to him nodded silently, gently wiping at his face. Mission accomplished, he'd gotten the problem diminished.
"Thank you, Kacchan" The teen whispered.
"Yeah whatever. Go back to sleep now, idiot" Katsuki stood, wiping imaginary dust off his sweatpants.
Midoriya stood too, giving out a hesitant whisper. "Kacchan? Can I... Can I sleep in your room?"
They used to do it before Katsuki ruined everything, and the request left him conflicted. He'd hurt the boy, yet here he was getting asked to sleep together, where they were each vulnerable. At the same time, he'd craved being able to make up with the teen, he'd craved a presence to calm him in his realm of fear and insecurity.
So after a few moments of debating, Katsuki sighed. "Sure, I guess"
The duo walked together to his room, the carpet near silencing their footsteps in the dark hallway. Leftover sniffles came from the teen beside him. Katsuki ignored it.
When they made it to his room, Katsuki cautiously opened the door, the light from his dim lamp spilled into the Hall, casting shadows and bouncing across surfaces.
Midoriya quickly stepped in after him and quietly closed the door. "Thank you"
Katsuki shrugged, he did that a lot when he was tired, he noticed. "It's fine, come on" He crawled up onto his bed, pulling back the covers. Midoriya slipped into the bed and slid down underneath the covers.
Remembering that the boy fell asleep fastest nearby someone else Katsuki joined him. The odds of gin actually sleeping or staying asleep I'd he did fall into the void were slim.
Midoriya shamelessly snuggled right up against him, sighing. "Goodnight Kacchan" The boy whispered.
"'Night Deku" He returned, settling into the blanket and pillows. The room was lit, the dim glow from his small lamp giving off no resistance to his descent into the void.
-•-•-•-
It was morning and neither Bakugou or Midoriya had come down yet. It was the weekend, but it was uncharacteristic for the two to sleep in, being that they were both early risers.
Kirishima, Iida, and Todoroki all went to check on the two. The three went to Midoriya's room first, knocking on the door. There was no answer so Iida tried the knob. It was unlocked, to their surprise. Instantly, they were thrown into a panic. No one was in the room.
Kirishima tried rationalizing it. "Maybe he's in... uh, the bathroom?"
"And leave his door open?" Iida frowned. "That doesn't seem like something he'd do. Let's go check Bakugou"
"If they're both missing, we have to tell Aizawa" Todoroki said as they crossed the hall to Bakugou's room. Kirishima took the lead, the other two leaving it up to the closest someone could get to being a best friend of Bakugou.
The redhead didn't knock, going straight for the door knob. It was also open, making all three uneasy. As soon as they opened the door however, that unease was replaced with surprise.
Bakugou lay with Midoriya, both fast asleep and curled around each other. There was a small lamp on the desk, switched on all night if the state of the two indicated anything.
Kirishima smiled, his sharp teeth flashing in a bright grin. "That's good, then. Come on, let's go before Bakugou wakes up and kills us"
The two others nodded, still speechless.
It really did seem as though the two had slept like that all night. It left many questions on their mind, yet the three vowed to never say a word in favor of living.
Kirishima was beyond happy, having accidentally spilled about knowing that Bakugou rarely slept.
From then on, there were many days that the two disappeared in the mornings as they slept.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the class, those three always knew what happened if the two came down stairs later in the morning.
After all, they could all see just how fabricated Bakugou's healthy look had been. It was true now, having slept consistently and had an improved mental status.
Midoriya too, the boy seemed much brighter, always happy to ask questions about assignments and training compared to his meeker, less confident questions from before.
That was why the three never said a word. The improvement was unbeatable, something that everyone could agree was beyond good.