Work Text:
Kirishima is wide awake the instant he hears the familiar knocking coming from the other side of the wall. He turns to face it, giving it two gentle taps in return.
It's a system he and Bakugou had naturally formed over the past few months living next to each other.
Knock knock. (Are you awake?)
Knock knock. (I am now.)
Knock knock. (I'm coming over.)
Kirishima gets up and opens his door just as Bakugou opens his. They don't say anything, just exchange a quick hug before Bakugou goes inside and flops onto Kirishima’s bed.
He checks the time before lying down beside him. 2:34.
“Your blankets are still hideous. How many fucking times do I have to complain before you stop making me sleep in this ugly ass haystack?” He's facing the wall, blankets hugged tightly up to his neck.
Kirishima chuckles a little as he pulls said blankets over him, but he can tell Katsuki’s insult is halfhearted. He only ever wakes him up this late if something is really bothering him.
He gently wraps his arm around Katsuki’s waist as he cuddles up behind him, nuzzling against his shoulder a bit. “What's bothering you?”
“Can't sleep.” His reply sounds choked.
“Mh. Is that all?”
Bakugou sighs and turns to face the other. He'd grown used to being vulnerable in front of him; after all, he’s one of the only people who he's ever trusted this much, gotten this close to. He knows that he can tell him anything, but still. It's hard to get the words to come out.
Instead, he wraps his arms around Kirishima tightly, burying his face against the soft fabric of his sleep shirt as tears start to well from his eyes. Kirishima doesn't say anything, just hugs him back and presses a soft kiss to his head. He's always known exactly how to comfort Bakugou. He appreciates it more than he shows.
It's another few minutes before Bakugou pulls away. He rubs gently at the little wet spots he left on Kirishima’s chest before rolling over and resting his head against the pillows. Kirishima can see the puffiness of his eyes in the dim light coming from the window.
Kirishima sits up a little, propping himself up on his elbow to face the other. He reaches over and grabs his hand with a little sigh, rubbing it softly.
“My dad called. Earlier today.” Katsuki's voice is groggy. He turns his head a little to look at Kirishima, but quickly returns to staring at the ceiling. “They found cancer in my mom’s lungs again. We thought it was all gone, but…” He takes his free hand and rubs his eyes, his other squeezing Kirishima’s tightly.
Kirishima leans over and kisses his forehead. He pulls him back to his chest, hugging him tight, like he can squeeze all the pain out. Bakugou begins to sob, clutching the fabric of his shirt.
“Oh, Katsuki, I'm so-”
“Stupid fucking doctors didn't do shit! They should have made her better the first fucking time. She can't go through all this bullshit again, she just..” He continues to cry, his frustration pouring out in tears and sobs. Kirishima runs his hand through his hair.
Eventually, he stops crying again. He stays hugged against the other’s chest, because the warmth of his arms is the most comforting thing in the whole universe, as far as he’s concerned.
“You feeling better?” Kirishima asks after a while. Katsuki pulls away with a little nod. He wipes his eyes one last time before leaning up to press a quick kiss to his chin. Here, in the private intimacy of a shared bed at 3AM, he can't bring himself to care about his pride. Not when he's so stupidly in love that he knows he would gladly dump his reputation in a fire pit and piss on it if Kirishima needed him to.
Kirishima thinks of himself as the luckiest person alive, to be able to see Bakugou in his most raw, true form, to be able to see the side of him most believe doesn't even exist. He cradles the side of his face with his palm, trying to will all the love in his body to flow from his hand to his face. “I'll be here with you the whole time, okay? No matter what happens.”
Katsuki nods and places his hand over the other’s. “Do you think she's gonna be alright?”
Kirishima smiles. “If she's anything like you, and I know she is, then yeah. I think she's going to be fine.”
Bakugou smiles the slightest bit as he leans up to kiss him. It's sweet and chaste, like most of the few kisses they share, but it's intimate. They're both pouring all they've got into it, trying to let it speak for all of the things they don't know how to say.
When they pull away, Kirishima has the most lovestruck look on his face. And with just that look, Katsuki's face turns red, and all of his self-consciousness comes rushing right back. He rolls over in a huff to face the wall. “Alright. Enough of this sappy shit. I'm tired.”
Kirishima laughs and cuddles back up to him, pressing a small kiss to the back of his neck. “Actually, I don't know if I can go back to sleep.”
Bakugou grabs Kirishima’s hand. “Me neither with you tickling my stomach with your grubby little fingers.” Kirishima lets out a snort at that. “It's almost time to get up anyway.”
“Well, it is for you. I get up at 6:30 like a normal person.”
“It's perfectly fucking normal to get up at 4:30. I have exercise to do, unlike some flabby assholes.”
Kirishima scoffs playfully. “I am the opposite of flabby and you know it! I do my exercises after class!”
Bakugou rolls his eyes a little. “Yeah, yeah. So manly and strong.”
Kirishima laughs. “You know it.”
“Idiot.”
“Idiot that you love.”
“Whatever.”
Kirishima giggles a little as he sits up and starts to ramble. They stay up until the sun rises, talking and showing each other dumb videos to pass the time.
That same day, they're sitting beside each other in class, slumped against the desks with fatigue.
Kaminari passes by with a smirk. “Wow, you two look like shit.”
They both look at each other with their own little smiles. Sure, they're tired, but they both know they wouldn't trade all the sleep in the world for the little time they share together in the dead of night.