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Autumn days come with mild coolness and pinky cheeks. Drops are falling with each askew splash. Clouded windows minimize the space to the one and only room. The kettle buzzes steadily as if to distract from the persistent chuckles of Uraraka talking all excited to someone on her yellow-themed phone. Something about her smile says 'whipped' and 'totally in love.'
As the sharp sound strikes through the common room combined kitchen, Izuku shuffles in his fluffy socks towards the crying kettle. The cup that lands on the counter is soon filled with green tea and water. Aroma overflows his senses, forcing his shoulders to slump a little.
"Himiko, you are so funny!" Another giggle escapes his friend.
It's something quite new in their establishment. By that he means Uraraka dating Himiko and he is very happy for them (actually.) Not surprising though. A lot has changed after the war and his classmates grew up a lot too. They finally got an opportunity to be dumb teenagers like it was supposed to be... So it's no wonder the romantic side has taken its special part there. Kirishima and Mina maybe the first in the class that appeared holding hands and smiling at each other so disgustingly wide that a fucking fly could enter their mouths, as someone particular might say. It's like the dam has been crashed making Izuku look around and hear as everyone talk about butterflies in their stomachs and have heart eyes.
And Izuku? Well...
He sips his tea, glancing yet again at the window. The rain is still falling like it had been weeks or years before; it's a cycle that never stops. Sometimes the only wish in his head is for it to stop... For the sun to peek through the curtains.
His gaze lands on his friend. He can't do it, can he, though?
The school day flies in a blur while his futile attempts to keep his thoughts at bay continue. Now yet again he is surrounded by the walls of his dorm bedroom. Little stones in his head rustle like an annoying itch.
Uraraka is texting with her girlfriend and she looks so happy. Kirishima and Mina are cuddling each other unabashedly in the common room. Kaminari complaining about how beautiful and amazing Shinsou is.
Puffs of dread grab his chest until the air leaves his vein. He buries his head in the All Might-themed blankets with shaky exhales. Warmth from the cozy nestle probably isn't that good compared to other body heat, though. Silence is suffocating and amplifying with ticks of the clock.
He will be lonely, won't he?... Alone and cold is what he meant to be. Someone beside to support romantic endeavors and then curl in his corner wishing it was him.
Eh, pathetic, isn't it? Yeah... He is such a pity.
Such a weirdo of existence-
The knock reverberates through the bedroom.
"Oi, nerd! Open the door."
Kacchan? What is he doing here? He rubs his sore eyes and plants his foot in stuffy slippers. The door cracks open, revealing the always angry face, yet with the grain of worry hidden beneath. He would see it; Katsuki is his very close friend after all.
"Are you okay, Kacchan?" The first thing that Izuku blurts out. Maybe Kacchan needs help or-
"I'm fuckin' fine, Deku." Katsuki scoffs shoving through him into the room and slumping on the bed unceremoniously. "Better you say what's wrong with you."
"Me?..." Izuku brushes off messy curls that fell on his face, standing somewhat awkwardly in the middle of the room before he sits near Katsuki. "What's wrong with me? I'm fine, Kacchan."
"No, you're not. You have been zoned out for most of the day as some pathetic side character from a poorly made movie. The furrow on your face doesn't give any positive points either." His finger points accusingly at him.
"I'm not! Well... maybe? I don't know. It's stupid..." Were his stupid musings so obvious? Crap.
"Can't be stupid if it got you so worked up."
A sigh and apprehensive glance into the deep crimson. "Just... That... Uh, romance thing all around is kinda... making me sad?" He furrows, wiggling his hands with a need to explain further. Leave out no details so Kacchan wouldn't misinterpret things. "It's not that I want it... Well, I do in some way... But I know I don't really feel anything like this. I just earn the closeness, but without a relationship it's..."
"What's without a relationship?" Katsuki presses on after the silence stays a little too long.
"Impossible..." Izuku ends his ramble and hides his head in his hands in embarrassment. Did he really just spill the beans to Katsuki about all the aromantic crisis? Like, why would he do that?
"Romance and relationships are shit anyway." Katsuki grumbles, making Izuku look up with a deadpan expression.
"I'm not surprised to hear you say that."
"Agh, that's not what I meant, Izuku." Katsuki rolls his eyes. "That overrated shit with sparkles on top isn't the most important thing in the world, you know. You can live just fine without it."
"You can, but... what about if I want to feel affectionate touch without being in a relationship?" Izuku retorts back as he grabs the blanket to drown in it again.
"You don't have to be in a relationship to get that. Friendship exists too." A bitter laugh escapes his lips without any thought.
"Yet most people still prioritize their partners over friends and it's greedy for me to ask for more than they are willing to give me."
"The key word is most, but not all, Izuku. You have a lot of friends and if you just ask them I'm damn sure they won't mind it. I'm your friend for fuck's sake too."
"So you mean... If I... I ask you to cuddle with me, you won't decline?" Irony seeps through it.
"No, I won't."
Surprise falls on Izuku like fresh air to the long-closed room without anyone being there for years. Katsuki's gaze stares back at him with such conviction that it flies right into his soul.
"So can we do it now?..."
Katsuki leans on the headboard, opening his arms, inviting. Izuku tentatively moves into the warm embrace with shoulders tensed in anticipation. He would have never guessed Kacchan as someone willing to give touches, but here in this quiet room his arms wrap back around him. It's soothing; his body falls down on this comfortable blanket.
"You are so warm, Kacchan..."
He clicks the tongue, "Shut it, nerd."
They sit like this for as much time as they want, because they can and there is no one here to judge it. After all, it's just a simple human connection. Touches aren't something reserved for couples; friends can do this too. Sometimes a little longer when it's needed.
In Katsuki's arms Izuku feels safe and fulfilled.