Work Text:
The TV that was previously showing the news now flickers as one late night show runs, then another. The lights highlight Katsuki’s blonde hair and red eyes, dulled by the late hour. It is far later than when he usually goes to bed. He lies on his side, stretched across one of the couches, blankly staring at the muted show. Katsuki sits up a bit when the front door at the dorms opens and slams shut.
Eijirou stumbles in covered in dirt and dried blood, none his own, with pieces of debris still stuck in his once bright hair. His exhausted eyes meet Bakugou’s. Something akin to relief or desperation flashes in those ruby eyes. They ask for something he cannot refuse.
Flipping onto his back, Katsuki grumbles but opens his arms. Eijirou flops down on top of Katsuki, who lets out a pained grunt. Eijirou shoves his face into his neck, his hair still half-way spiky poking into Katsuki’s chin and cheeks. Still, Katsuki makes no complaint, only moving to wrap his arms more securely around Eijirou. He rubs circles into his back as shaky breaths fill the air and tears drip down, soaking into his shirt.
Eventually, Eijirou’s breathing evens out and his muscles relax. When he starts to obnoxiously snore, Katsuki forces them both up. Eijirou grumbles barely understandable protests, annoyed at being woken up, but Katsuki insists on guiding him towards the showers.
Katsuki strips Eijirou’s costume off, for once thankful that he barely wears any clothing. He sets Eijirou down on a stool as he turns on the hot water and takes his own clothes off. He drags another stool behind Eijirou, who tilts further to the side, quickly grabbing his shoulders and leans him securely against his chest.
Katsuki works from the top down. He picks the pieces of concrete out of his hair first, then scrubs the rest of it, washing the dust and gel out. Then, the rest of Eijirou’s body is thoroughly wiped down. The water dripping off his body slowly changes from brown and red to translucent.
Satisfied that he’s cleaned off most of the physical reminders, Katsuki stops the water and dries him off. Looking around, he realizes neither of them have extra clothes; he forgot to grab any beforehand. Katsuki decides to just wrap towels around them instead, wanting to get a few hours of sleep, at least. No one should be up this late anyway.
Heading up the elevator, he brings Eijirou to his bedroom, half-carrying him to his bed. Eijirou collapses on top of it, already knocked out, and Katsuki shoves and rolls him over to have some space to lay. Eijirou ends up on his side, facing the wall. Katsuki slides in behind him and wraps his arms around him again, pressing his face into Eijirou’s back. He moves his right hand over Eijirou’s heart, feeling the rise and fall of his chest and the reassuring rhythm underneath his palm. Katsuki falls asleep to his steady heartbeat.