Chapter Text
Katsuki was still awake-it wasn't a school night-and it was around 11pm, technically he would be asleep but he can't stop thinking about what could have happened that made Izuku's quirk go haywire. He's only ever seen it go like that when it manifested, when Monoma was saying something to Izuku. What had Monoma said, Katsuki doesn't know.
But that's besides the point, Katsuki still didn't know what could've caused his quirk to go crazy like that again. Katsuki was so immersed in his thoughts, that when a small tendril of what he now recognized as blackwhip slipped under the bathroom door to the side of the room, he didn't notice. It slowly kept getting closer and closer, eventually getting close enough to essentially pounce, and it wrapped around Katsuki's chest, pulling it towards the door it came from, causing shouts of, “WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT DEKU WTF IS GOING ON AHHHH GET OFF OF ME DAMNITTTTT!!!”.
Once Katsuki got closer, he stopped shouting and allowed it to take him, although begrudgingly. He settles for glaring at the strand of blackwhip as if it murdered Izuku, and grinding his teeth together. Eventually Katsuki found himself getting smacked against the door, to which he tried-and failed once again-to free himself of the strand. He opened the door, which was apparently not supposed to be unlocked, because the first thing he saw was a very familiar green head. And a weird, hiccupy sound-is he crying?!
Katsuki calls out “...Zuku’?”
Izuku’s head whips around, eyes shining with tears and cheeks puffy, looking helpless, "Ka-cchan…?” Izuku looks around, noticing the black whip strand around Katsuki’s wrist. His eyes widen more-if that's even possible- and his voice is small, it cracks a little when he says; “y- you.. should go, Im- I'm not sa-fe to be a-around…”
Then, another black whip strand suddenly reaches out to Katsuki’s opposite wrist, tightly gripping it and pulling him harshly to the floor-and right onto Izuku. They tumble slightly, hitting the ground roughly. Despite everything, Izuku finds himself letting out a soft, barely audible laugh. Katsuki rolls off of his place on top of Izuku, although he isn't able to leave, the black whip is still wrapped around his wrists.
“Looks like there’s still a part of you that wants me to stay.” Katsuki said with a growing smirk on his face “I-I’m so So-sorry, Kacchan..” Izuku says, eyes flicking back and forth between both Katsuki's bound wrists.
“Tch.” Katsuki turns his gaze towards the very-interesting, why else would he stare at it?-bland wall next to him. “It's fine.” he says, although his wrists are uncomfortable and are starting to slightly hurt.
They stay like that for a while, Izuku is still silently crying and that only serves to make the black whip tighten against Katsuki’s wrists. Katsuki would try to comfort Izuku, but truthfully he doesn't know how. Also the position they're in right now is not helping the feeling he definitely does NOT have towards Izuku. He's not blushing right now, his face is warm because of his excess sweat used for his quirk. No other reason.
Izuku, meanwhile, is mentally spiraling. He hates hurting people, that's why he's wanted to be a hero for as long as he knew what they were. But he has hurt people, people he cares about, and he never, never wanted to hurt them. Gosh why can't he just not hurt people??
Unknowingly, the emotions Izuku is currently working through create the perfect conditions for Black Whip to do whatever it wants. And if that means pulling Katsuki up from the floor and pulling him closer until they end up pressed against each other, Izuku sitting criss-cross and Katsuki in a weird, half-sitting, half-kneeling position, then that's exactly what it'll do. So that's how they find themselves in their latest predicament; worlds’ most awkward half-hug.
Izuku knows Katsuki is not a hugger, he doesn't like physical touch all that much. But Izuku, he does. It's his love language. So while Izuku is leaning into the touch, he knows that Katsuki would be pulling away.
Would be.
He doesn't really know what to do. Katsuki is in an awkward position, in a half-hug with Izuku-its not making him blush, fuck you if think so-and he doesn't really know what to do. But he's seen how Izuku leans into the touch, so maybe… Katsuki can try to comfort him. That's something a friend would do, right? Regardless, the black whip strands loosen just enough so that Katsuki can actually wrap his arms around Izuku, kneeling-it hurts his knees but it's worth It- and hugging Izuku properly. He doesn't know how much it helps, and they stay like that for a while.
Katsuki truthfully doesn't want it to end. It's comforting in a way he didn't know was possible, it's like it's healing parts of him he didn't know needed healing. The parts where he's still plagued on what he did to Izuku. The parts where he still wonders what would've happened if Izuku took his words seriously. And Izuku seems to enjoy it too, leaning into the touch more and more.
They stay like this for several more minutes, and Katsuki eventually feels the black whip loosening, and then returning to Izuku entirely. Izuku is limp against Katsuki's chest now. ‘Fuck, he fell asleep.’ Katsuki knows, finally noticing the way Izuku's breaths are deep and calm. Izukus head is resting on Katsuki's shoulder. Carefully, he takes Izuku's head and puts it in front of Katsuki's, who gently wipes some of the tears off of his face. ‘I should've realized something like this would've happened…He probably hasn’t slept in days. Always worrying about others and never himself.’ he scoffs.