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Rumi is fully curled in her nest, body aching, chest hurting, empty tissue boxes mixing with the full ones.
She's sick, and it's pissing her off.
It wouldn't be so bad if mating season hadn't just ended.
"Rumi?"
Her heart jumps into her throat at the familiar voice.
It's Shouta Aizawa.
Her idiot best friend Keigo asked him to check in on her because he's on a mission and can't do it himself.
He's usually the one making sure she's feeding herself, but instead it's been Shouta.
Her fucking crush… well maybe she should classify it as unrequited love now since it's been two years of this feeling.
"I'm in here, Shouta!" calls Rumi with a scratchy voice that aches as she raises it.
"How are we feeling?" asks Shouta gruffly as he steps as close to her nest as he's willing to let himself.
Her cheeks burn because she knows it has to do with her trying to drag him in when she was coming out of heat.
"Not gonna drag you in, Shouta," murmurs Rumi as she leans her head over for him to feel. "Not better, but not worse either."
"Well, no fever this time, so the medicine is working. Have you ate anything?" asks Shouta quietly as he crouches next to her, fingers crooked under her chin once he's satisfied with her temp check.
"Yeah, some of that soup you brought earlier. Still aching, so I didn't clean the bowl," replies Rumi quietly as she looks at him, eyes feeling heavy. "Why are you back again?"
"Well, someone sent me a message, and I figured I should come by," Shouta's eyes cut away from her to the bowl in a way that is more suspicious than natural.
That someone definitely had to have been her, but she doesn't remember messaging him.
"What did I say?" asks Rumi quickly, eyes narrowing despite the weight to her eyelids.
"Nothing out of character," snorts Shouta as he looks back at her, amusement curling across his face softly. "Though you did mention wanting to bury your face in my chest and bring all of my clothes into your nest."
"I sent that?!" yelps Rumi as her eyes blow wide.
She remembers typing it earlier, but she didn't think she sent it.
How embarrassing.
"You did," replies Shouta as his free hand raises, fingers scratching just above his capture weapon around his neck. "Bakugou found it hilarious when my face went red while watching him and Izuku go over their observations with my class earlier. But I can hold you, if you want me to."
"I mean, if you're okay with that," mutters Rumi nervously.
"We'll talk about it later, but I wouldn't have brought it up if I wasn't," replies Shouta as he nods at her.
Rumi scoots to the side, tugging at Shouta's capture weapon as her hand raises, and she melts into his side as soon as he's in.
Everything else can wait because now she's comfortable.