Chapter Text
“Izuku! Will you take my pies out? Katsuki is here!”
Izuku raised his hands to cover his ears as both girls squealed on either side of the short teen, swiftly dodging the two so he could escape from the hallway. While he was excited for another member of their family, he was also extremely nervous. Izuku hadn’t had to share a room since Shouto and he wasn’t necessarily very excited to do so now. While all of their fostered teens were amazing, Izuku took each of their backstories hard. Shou’s had been the hardest for him to cope with.
Ever since Izuku was young, his mother had always taken in multiple children through the foster system, housing them and loving them as she did with Izuku. Inko Midoriya was an extremely charitable woman, one who had come from wealth and used her money for those who needed it. Never having met his father, Izuku only knew of the gushing that his mother gave as reference. His father died when Izuku was an infant when cancer claimed the man. But he had lived an extraordinary life providing housing to low-income families.
This new person was probably going to be a lot like Shouto, Izuku wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Mom hadn’t told him much about the new one, the social worker wanted to speak to her in person about his situation. There was no likelihood of his family reconnecting as they were no longer alive, so Izuku knew that he would be a permanent member of the family. Who would take in a kid with a background like that?
Mom said his name was Katsuki, and that his eyes were pretty unnatural. Katsuki was very quiet, a side effect of many years of abuse according to the social worker. Mom also said Katsuki had been very out of it the past few days. Apparently, he was found near-death in the basement of his parents. His parents were deceased upstairs; a murder-suicide. He had recovered in a hospital prior to his arrival. While Izuku was empathetic for Katsuki, it didn’t change the unsettled pit in his stomach.
So maybe Izuku was a coward for not going to greet their newest member with the rest of the family. The girls didn’t know what Izuku did, and Mom was always much stronger than he was when it came to helping others. If Izuku could pull the apple pies from the oven and assist with dessert for later that night, he was happy.
Inko came in with the girls on one side and a hunched figure on the other. Mina and Ochako looked far more unsure than excited, it became obvious they hadn’t expected what they saw. Izuku himself took a deep breath before he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. He could do this.
Even though Izuku was expecting the worst, it still made him really uncomfortable when he could physically see the abuse. Katsuki was a taller guy and very malnourished. The dark hoodie was wrapped around his frame loosely, dark jeans seeming to sag around the thin waist. Katsuki kept darting his eyes around, overly cautious of them. Which was understandable, Izuku would be too.
They knew next to nothing about the treatment their newest member had been through. How could Katsuki trust someone who didn’t understand him? That he didn’t know?
While the girls were at a loss, mom always seemed to know what she was doing. She and Katsuki were sitting on the couch as she asked the girls to work on dinner. One glance was all it took for Izuku to realize she wanted him in with her. With great hesitance, Izuku walked over taking a seat on the couch adjacent to his mother and the newest foster.
“Dear, this is Izuku. He’s my son. You’re going to be sharing a room with him, alright?” Mom spoke gently to Katsuki, those blaringly red eyes watching her with little shift. Katsuki inhaled and exhaled two times, turning to look Izuku up and down. The stare was unnerving, but Izuku could handle this. It was necessary that he helped like mom did.
Katsuki never verbally replied to the mom’s soft words, just keeping that eerie stare on the freckled teen. If Inko was uncomfortable like Izuku she did a hell of a job hiding it. Gently, Izuku held his hand out as friendly as possible. While the blond stiffened he didn’t shy from it, and Izuku began to explain. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but it’s a handshake. Er- If you want, we can greet each other like that. But I get if you don’t want to!”
Another moment of silence had left Izuku second-guessing his offer, thinking that perhaps he shouldn’t have offered at all! While he was a pretty physical person, it was very obvious that Katsuki was not. But when he went to retreat his hand, Katsuki grabbed it with both of his, examining it in an odd fashion.
What was he doing?
“Ah! Th-that’s not how handshakes work… Here,” Izuku pried one hand off, linking their hands in a sorry excuse of a handshake. “We can work on it, okay? Uh... Mom? Where is his luggage?”
Inko jumped at his question, suddenly becoming embarrassed for not remembering his bags. “I’m sorry dear! I forgot to ask the girls to grab them! He should have three suitcases on the porch, do you need any help carrying them?” Izuku unlinked his hand from Katsuki’s with only minor issue, smiling assuredly at his mother. “I’ve got it. Katsuki? Do you want to see our room?”
The strange teen remained silent but followed Izuku up the spiral stairs, holding onto the railing as Izuku held two of the suitcases on one shoulder and the last in his opposite hand. If the blond wanted to assist him in carrying, he didn’t voice it. Which Izuku didn’t mind. He was more than able to carry three light suitcases. Izuku led Katsuki through the upstairs sitting room, which directly connected to the bedrooms there. There were only two bedrooms on the second floor, but they were large and the bathrooms were attached. Having come from a family of money, his father had designed their home after the first blueprints he’d ever made. The house was large, three stories and spacious. But it made a good home for fostered children to come in and out of.
Katsuki ogled the pool table, stroking the oak wood as they passed it. Izuku wasn’t really good, but Mina and Ochako had begged for a pool table, hence why it had been bought. Seeing that Katsuki was also interested in it he would have to ask one of the girls to play with him. The question of whether or not Katsuki had ever used a pool table came to mind, but he just assumed the answer would be no. He certainly didn’t seem to know what it was.
Izuku opened the bedroom door, setting the luggage on the computer desk only a few short steps from the door against the wall. He would give Katsuki time to look over this room before he even mentioned their balcony. True to his suspicions, crimson eyes darted every which way, examining the room in its entirety. All of the rooms were fairly large, able to fit two large queen sized beds and still remain spacious enough that there was a small television set near the balcony door, two computer desks side by side on the wall, and in between the bathroom door and Izuku’s bed, a small pull up bar and a bench press machine. He would have to teach Katsuki how to deal with those at a later date.
For now, the blond found his way deeper in the room, curiously climbing on Izuku’s bed and snatching the middle pillow to hold to his chest. Immediately Izuku went to rectify this, explaining. “That’s my bed, Katsuki. Yours is that one over by the wall, see? You’ve got pillows!” The words seemed to do the trick as Katsuki slid off the bed with one more look to his own, though he took the pillow with.
It wasn’t worth the fight, Izuku would just have to get it back from him later. Or put it back when Katsuki eventually let it go. It took Izuku an entire minute to realize that Katsuki really didn’t know what to do, so with an almost startled response, he clapped his hands and started to move the suitcases to the foot of the blond’s bed. Katsuki flinched as each was set on the bed, pulling himself near the top where his own pillows were. While Izuku remained slow and cautious for the sake of keeping his new roommate calm, he did take the time to ask for permission into his luggage. “I’ll put your clothes away if that’s okay?”
Another set of moments passed of what Izuku could only call Katsuki thinking, and he watched the blond point to the first case, nodding curiously. Perhaps even Katsuki didn’t know what was in them? A question of the other teen’s intelligence piqued Izuku’s interest, yet he decidedly left them unsaid. The first luggage case was full of generic clothing, no doubt things that Katsuki had been provided by his social worker. Thankfully they were all very neatly folded so Izuku only had to put them in the according drawers at the foot of Katsuki’s bed.
Katsuki only proved his theory when he reached over, clumsily taking one of the black T-shirts and examining it thoroughly. Much of the clothing Izuku had seen were button-ups and flannels, but Izuku figured that wouldn’t be much of Katsuki’s type of clothing. The shirt itself was completely out of place with the formal clothing, a soft T with a skull in the middle. Go figure that would be the one to interest the odd blond.
The second luggage case had much more casual clothing in them, much more fitting for that shirt Katsuki was now holding to his chest along with the pillow. There were sweats, underwear, and loose tops that would probably be good to sleep in. Izuku almost pitied the fact that he found a ridiculous pajama set, wondering if Katsuki understood how childish it was. Probably not, this was all so weird!
Izuku would probably call Shouto tonight, confide in him or something about the anxiety he felt with Katsuki.
While Shouto might live with his Mom again it didn’t mean they became any less close. Izuku had bonded with the burn victim almost right away, and he contacted him frequently. Shouto remained in the same school as them all anyway, so he was often seen at the Midoriya residence. Their sleepovers would be a little weird now, but that was okay. Izuku was hopeful that Katsuki would adjust well.
“Okay, Katsuki. Last suitcase and then we’re done! Mom’s made Katsudon to celebrate your first night, so we’re in for a treat!” While it was obvious Katsuki didn’t actually know what he was talking about, it was pleasant that he pretended to. The blonde nodded, boldly reaching for the suitcase with one hand. Izuku found humor that he had stuffed the shirt and pillow in a tight grip locked between his elbow and side. While the blond fiddled with the latch Izuku moved the clothing so it would be tighter together, assuring there would be plenty of room in both drawers.
Izuku took pity on Katsuki shortly after, snapping the small latch open and watching it fall in front of Katsuki. This suitcase was considerably lighter, no clothing filling the inside. Instead, there was an old throw blanket, a patchwork of blacks and grey with tasseled edges. With that pulled out and laid on the blond’s lap, Katsuki pulled the next item out of the case. It was a tiny wood figurine, obviously carved by someone with mediocre experience. The figure looked like a tree, branches thin and spindly. Obviously, it was important to Katsuki as he tucked it against Izuku’s pillow and the skull shirt.
“H-Hey, Katsuki? Why don’t we put that on your nightstand? You don’t want it to break, right?” Said blond looked over his carved figurine before glancing at Izuku again. He proceeded to look back and forth before quietly handing the wooden tree to Izuku. Holding it carefully, though he doubted he would cause any harm to it even if he had been casual, Izuku set it down on the inner nightstand beside Katsuki’s bed. Almost apprehensively, Katsuki examined the spot it was set on. With just a smidge of movement, he set it to the right, nodding in what Izuku considered approval.
Katsuki returned to the suitcase, pulling out a small wooden box. This one didn’t make sense to Izuku at all. It was covered in melted red wax and rope, a small and worn cross sitting on the top of the box. There were chips in the wood in random places, but Katsuki was firm that he wanted Izuku to also pick a spot for it. The blond held it out expectantly, waiting rather patiently for Izuku to grab it. With a nervous smile and cautious hands, Izuku took the box and set it in the middle, next to the wooden tree figure. Katsuki examined its position once more but did not move it. Izuku could only assume Katsuki thought that was a rather smart place to set it.
With that, all that was left was a small locket. Had he really needed an entire suitcase for four items? Izuku watched Katsuki drape the chain on top of the box, laying it flat against the weird thing. With Katsuki officially unpacked, crimsons turned to Izuku, pointedly looking at the suitcases as if telling Izuku silently to move them. Why he did just that? Izuku wasn’t sure. Maybe he felt bad for Katsuki, already feeling like they had begun bonding from their excursion unpacking. Katsuki slid off of his bed and set the patchy blanket messily next to the pillows, placing Izuku’s on top of the others lengthwise instead of width. Finally, he draped the T-Shirt over the pillow, tucking it around the pillow.
While this was all incredibly odd to Izuku he supposed he could ask for the pillow back later that night or even tomorrow. Katsuki seemed pretty reasonable, after all. He was just really confused. Izuku folded his arms behind himself and watched Katsuki as he approached him, both hands reaching towards his left hand and tugging on his arm. Katsuki pulled his hand out, cupping it with both hands and mocking the shake he had given him when the blond first arrived. With a sharp nod of his head, Katsuki let go and walked to the door, waiting for Izuku to open it.
And Izuku figured this wouldn’t be so bad.
---
Dinner was fairly uncomfortable so far, though Izuku was sure his mother and Katsuki thought otherwise. Both Mina and Ochako obviously had much they wanted to learn of their newest member, but the fact that Katsuki had not said a word yet had probably given them the wrong idea. It wasn’t like they knew what Izuku did, they didn’t understand!
What should have been taken as a lack of comprehension or ability became disdain. Izuku knew the girls well enough to see when Ochako fumed. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that they thought Katsuki was uninterested in them. They thought he was ignoring their questions. Inko hadn’t offered an explanation other than a gentle smile, so they really had nothing to go off of. Katsuki was currently fisting a fork awkwardly in his hand, jabbing into the sliced cutlet and rice. He opened his mouth at ridiculous length, head tilting down to meet the unsteady fork for each bite.
Katsuki had probably never used silverware, Izuku was realizing his situation was probably far worse than he had originally expected. The mother and son shot a few looks at one another during dinner, a silent promise to sit down and fully converse about their newest ward. It wasn’t right to involve the girls too much, Izuku honestly thought they would overwhelm Katsuki as he was now. There was obviously something much worse at play when it came to how the blond had been raised. Had he had any form of education? Why did his mother kill her husband and then herself?
Why did they hurt their child?
The answer probably had to do with their mental health. Something must have been awfully wrong with this couple that they would hurt their child. Katsuki didn’t speak, had trouble eating with silverware, and was poorly cared for. What was Izuku supposed to think about that? They took Katsuki in with little information but the longer the blond was in their house, the more resolved Izuku was to help him. He would be Katsuki’s friend, help him in a society he no doubt didn’t understand.
At the end of dinner Inko brought out the sliced pies, serving each one of the teenagers a piece before herself. Izuku had no problem digging into the dessert, but Katsuki seemed almost suspicious. He poked at the pastry with his free hand, inching closer to the pastry and smelling it. Ochako watched him wearily, soft brown brows cinched up in confusion and… disgust? Izuku wasn’t quite sure. Mina just seemed flabbergasted, her mouth dropped. Katsuki seemed to only have just noticed the staring, and physically recoiled. The blond dropped his fork, looking frantically between the two girls, Inko, and finally Izuku. His chest visibly rose and deflated as Katsuki panicked, both hands going to either bicep and traveling up to his shoulders, neck, and resting on either side of his temple. Katsuki was effectively hiding his face, but one panicked crimson eye seemed to pop from the shadowing of his arms, frantically looking all over.
“Mom!” Mina cried, setting her utensils down and scooting closer to the older woman. Ochako seemed to follow suit, Inko resting both of her hands on the girl’s arms to comfort them. It was obvious to Izuku his mother wasn’t sure how to calm Katsuki, and he became desperate to comfort and calm down the near hysterical blond.
Izuku stood abruptly from his chair and crossed the two feet it took to the sitting Katsuki. He held his hand out like he had when they had met only an hour ago, crouching so he was looking up at the blond. This generally caught Katsuki’s attention and he promptly turned himself to face Izuku, both arms still guarding his face. With his mother’s patience and father’s smile, Izuku held himself quietly for Katsuki. It was an invitation to comfort, but only if Katsuki wanted it. His hands slowly uncrossed even as they remained by his face, head-turning abruptly to stare at the three female on the other side of the table. When both girls remained quiet and Inko offered him an encouraging smile, Katsuki turned back and stared down at Izuku, ever so slowly tugging a hand to his chest similar to how he’d held the shirt and pillow in their room.
Izuku was honestly just thankful that Katsuki seemed to have calmed down. Neither his mother nor he knew how to really deal with people under extreme distress. A shaky smile formed from Izuku and they allowed Katsuki time to collect himself. Three minutes after, Inko decided to break the heavy silence with a gentle question. “Katsuki dear, do you not like pie?”
The blond in question turned to the plate, eyes narrowing once again before turning to Inko. With a soft frown, Katsuki let one of his hands-free from the death grip he had on the freckled teen and grabbed the pie slice in his palm. He held it there, soon cradling it like one would with a slice of pizza. Ochako let her face screw at the action, yet it didn’t seem to dissuade Katsuki this time. Red eyes examined the pastry for a few more seconds before he turned it and held it out towards Izuku. The silent command of ‘eat’ seemed to weigh on Izuku, and he reluctantly met that gaze. It wasn’t really sanitary, Izuku didn’t want to eat it, but Katsuki was very adamant Izuku tried it first.
Did he not trust it? Why had Katsuki eaten dinner with no issue but dessert stirred so much of one? With an extreme amount of patience, Izuku carefully took a bite from the pie slice being held so recklessly in Katsuki’s hand, the blond never looking away from the interaction. Everyone at the table was uncomfortable besides the blond, who waited only a few short moments before deciding that the pie was fine and eating it wordlessly. Katsuki let go of Izuku’s hand he held hostage, holding the slice with both of his thin hands. Tension almost visibly melted in the room, especially when a small pleased hum escaped the blond.
Inko was elated, offering Katsuki two more slices until the blond wouldn’t eat another bite. Mina and Ochako seemed to finally understand the difference of their newest ward and themselves. With Katsuki finished, the other four members of the household began cleaning up after themselves, Ochako and Mina pulling Izuku aside once in the kitchen to confront what had just happened.
“Izuku- what was that? What’s wrong with him?” Wincing at Ochako’s blunt question Izuku rubbed the back of his head, replying just as quietly. “He’s- He’s been through a lot. I uh- I don’t know that much about him either, but I don’t think he’s uh… as developed as us. Katsuki came from a really abusive home… B-but mom would know more-”
“I-zu-ku!”
Emerald eyes widened with shock, a jolt going through his body as he hastily turned to the entrance to the kitchen. Katsuki stood there, one hand clinging tightly to his sweater while the other was outstretched in front of him, opening and closing deliberately. The silent beckoning had almost been as shocking as hearing his name choppily spoken. Katsuki’s voice was far deeper than he’d expected, even with the raspy tone- probably from lack of use- it seemed smooth. Did that really come out of Katsuki?
When Izuku didn’t immediately come Katsuki became even more restless, arms pulling closer to his body as he stepped into the kitchen. Inko was right behind him, holding the leftover pies. Izuku’s mother looked honestly just as surprised, but Mina was actually the one to break the silence.
“Sorry, Katsuki right? Here, we’ll finish up in here, Izuku! Why don’t you go show him the bathroom.” Well, that was fair. Izuku wanted to get the stickiness from the filling off of Katsuki’s hands and it got him away from this interrogation he was suddenly thrust into. Mina gave Inko a knowing smile, ruffling both Ochako and Izuku’s hair. “ We’ve got this, Zu. Help a guy out, am I right?” “R-right! Thanks, Mina! Katsuki, let’s go wash our hands!”
Izuku led the way out of the kitchen and back upstairs. Somehow he doubted Katsuki wanted to be with everyone else much more tonight, so it was better to get him upstairs. Besides, if his intuition was right Mom would be telling the girls what they knew about Katsuki, so hopefully, they wouldn’t judge him too harshly.
Katsuki was content to just follow Izuku, entering the room with little concern as Izuku held the door for him. Taking a sidestep to the left was their bathroom door, and Izuku let Katsuki into there as well. Katsuki examined the bathroom with just as much attention as he had given each and every room he’d entered.
“Here, let’s get your hands under the water, okay?”
Izuku took long strides to the bathroom sink, turning it on and holding the small soap dispenser in his hands. Katsuki seemed to take the hint and he placed his hands under the water, watching some of the remnants of the pie fall with the water. At Izuku’s call, he pulled his hands from the faucet, blinking at the gel suddenly being squirted into his palms. Izuku rinsed his own hands and squirted soap on, taking his time in showing the blond exactly how to wash his hands.
Truly, this was all such basic stuff. It was saddening to Izuku that Katsuki seemed to genuinely not understand the purpose. This was really his first time washing his hands. By now, Izuku doubted he was even raised like a human being. A seventeen-year-old who had issues eating with silverware, barely could manage a word, and didn’t understand basic day-to-day functions; that’s what Katsuki was.
But it was impressive how much he seemed to have learned just from today. Today alone he seemed to progress much farther than Izuku felt he ever had. So maybe… Maybe things would be okay.
Izuku was snapped from his thoughts when a wet hand tugged on his arm, Katsuki demanding attention again. “Sorry!” shutting the water off, Izuku pulled the hand towel down and began patting off the blond’s hands. “We dry our hands after, okay? You must be pretty tired, right? Do you want to go to bed?”
Katsuki glanced at the door, contemplating the offer. With a slow nod, Izuku watched impressed as Katsuki went into the other room on his own accord. So far, he’d just followed them around… Mostly Izuku, but that was only because Izuku was helping his mom. Katsuki seemed most comfortable with Izuku so it was only right he did his best to help his newest housemate. Katsuki was on his new bed by the time Izuku gathered himself and joined the blond, having tugged the blankets to the bottom of the bed and returned the shirt and pillow to his chest.
Something told Izuku it wasn’t even worth asking for that pillow back tonight. He would just grab one of the spare pillows his mom kept. Sure, he had others on his bed, but that one regulated temperature. Maybe that’s why Katsuki seemed so interested in it. That was also his favorite pillow, one he slept with every night. Oh well, Katsuki could probably use it more.
“Hey, Katsuki? I’m going to go downstairs for a few minutes, okay? I’m going to get you a water bottle and fill mine up. Maybe we can turn something on and watch something? It’s a Friday, so we can sleep in tomorrow.”
Katsuki, bless his heart, probably didn’t understand most of it. But he nodded along, pretending to get what Izuku meant. That was pretty sweet. With a fond smile, Izuku shut the bedroom door and bounded downstairs. Mom, Mina, and Ochako were sitting at the table, greeting him nervously as he smiled back assuringly.
“He’s okay, I think he’s just tired. I’m going to grab one of the spare water bottles for him and then I think we’re just going to crash for the night. I’m sorry it got weird at dinner-”
“Nonsense dear, I should have talked to the girls first. I learned a bit more from the worker today, but I just hadn’t found the time to share it. I’m thankful Katsuki seems comfortable with you, the poor thing’s lived such a terrible life.”
His mother was an emotional woman, always had been. What he hadn’t expected were the tears that seemed to fly down her face. Mina rubbed Inko’s shoulder soothingly, the older woman thanking her as she composed herself. “Izuku, I’m sorry to put so much on you, but you’re the only one he seems comfortable with. Do you mind guiding him through the day until he gets the hang of it?”
Confliction seemed to take over Izuku, the smaller male rubbing at his neck with a hesitation he hadn’t been able to shake. “I-I mean… Of course, I will, but am I going to do well? He just seems… Mom, what the heck happened to him?”
“Sweetheart, you’re going to do well by him? Right now… I think that boy would be better off getting a good rest. Can we talk about it tomorrow Izuku?” As one who rarely went against his mother, Izuku conceded and nodded away. The knowledge he had was enough, right? Besides, Katsuki has been pretty easy going. Izuku felt confident enough that they would be able to get to sleep with little issue tonight. “Sure, Mom. I’m just going to fill the water and head to bed then, alright? Night Ochako, Mina, Mom!”
Inko was lucky to have an amazing son, and she knew it. Izuku didn’t think that highly of himself, but Inko felt blessed to have such a soft, sweet, and charitable child.
They would be okay.
---
“Katsuki?”
Izuku peaked his head into the room, surprised to see Katsuki on the small couch. The blond seemed enamored with one of his comics, holding it with more care than Izuku had seen him hold anything. The tuft of blond shot up as Katsuki looked at Izuku, blinking owlishly as he pointed to the comic.
“Iz-ku?”
The attempt on his name alluded to a question, Izuku carefully striding to sit on the opposite end of the couch. That quickly became pointless as Katsuki scooted himself near Izuku, knees on the couch as he pointed at Izuku’s favorite character.
“Zu?”
“Ah, that’s All Might! He’s the coolest hero in the world! Uh, I mean- in the comic. This is a fictional story, but they based his character off of an actor! His movies are amazing!” As Izuku gushed over the hero Katsuki stroked the drawn face, contemplating what he was being told. A part of Izuku wished he had an inkling to what was going through the blond’s mind.
“Do you maybe want to uh- watch one?”
The nodding was instantaneous, the most assurance Izuku had felt from the blond since meeting. With just as much excitement, Izuku grabbed the controller of his PlayStation and turned on the TV. Katsuki surprisingly only wanted to touch the buttons once, seeming to mentally jot down the function of the remote towards the television. He was probably really smart, Izuku noted. The freckled teen stood from the couch, bending down to go through the entertainment center and place the first movie into the PS4.
Skipping to the main menu, Izuku turned the volume up just enough to be heard. Katsuki was a jumpy guy as it was, Izuku didn’t want to scare him off. The general amazement that gleamed in red eyes made it all worth it.
While Izuku was content to stay put, Katsuki seemed to have realized something and it had him scurrying from the couch and back to the bed. As Izuku craned his body to watch worriedly Katsuki gathered the patchy blanket, Izuku’s pillow, and the T-Shirt from his bed. Looking quite proud of himself, Katsuki began his descent back towards the couch. He sat next to Izuku, boldly offering part of his blanket. Izuku was going to decline, but Katsuki’s eyes narrowed and he decided just to set it on his lap.
And Izuku appreciated the inclusive behavior, he did! They just needed to get ready for bed! With his luck, they’d both be sleeping in day clothes! “Katsuki, wait. Okay? We need to get into pajamas. And I need to turn the light off! Oh- and we need to brush our teeth! Come on.” Izuku sat up, surprised that Katsuki grunted and huffed. Even though the blond was disgruntled, he opted to listen. Katsuki trudged after Izuku, tugging on the sweater as if it was his enemy.
Childish, really. But Izuku didn’t expect much from Katsuki.
“Here, put these on.” Izuku had gone through Katsuki’s drawers grabbing fresh boxers, grey sweats, and a black tank top. Hopefully, this would be fine for Katsuki, Izuku wouldn’t torment the guy and make him wear the ugly matching pajamas he had. Katsuki took the clothing, holding it to his chest in annoyance. But he seemed to know how to change himself, seeing as he began ripping the hood off, kicking his shoes and pants off. With haste Izuku skidded to his own drawers, finding sleep pants and a plain white shirt.
“I’ll change in the bathroom, come in when you’re done!” With that Izuku left Katsuki to his own devices, changing his outfit as quickly as he could. Modesty was probably something Katsuki didn’t understand, but Izuku wanted to preserve his as much as possible. Katsuki fiddled with the doorknob until Izuku opened it for him, walking in moodily. At least he had put the clothing on properly. Izuku set his laundry in the white basket by the counter, opening the mirror cabinet and fishing out a brand new toothbrush.
“Okay Katsuki, do you know how to brush your teeth?”
Izuku was surprised by the nod, but thankful he didn’t have to walk him through that process. The two brushed in silence, Katsuki was very visibly antsy to get back to the activity that caught his interest. But Izuku was adamant they got ready for bed, so hopefully, Katsuki understood. After rinsing his brush- and evidently, Katsuki’s too- Izuku waited for Katsuki to seat himself on the couch before turning the lights off and joining him.
The blond set the throw firmly over them both, putting his hand from his chest out as if to mimic sharing. Izuku had taken it for what it was, thanking Katsuki and watching him cling to the pillow and T-Shirt once more.
True to his excitement, Katsuki had been enraptured with the movie the entirety of it’s playing. Even Izuku was tired by the end of it, but through the yawns and heavy blinking Katsuki continued to point at the comic, silently conveying his excitement. “I know, I know. He’s really cool. But let’s get some sleep, alright?”
Katsuki’s gave a gruff sigh, but he’d followed after Izuku like a duckling as he turned the Playstation and TV off, all the way to his bed. There was only light from the windows, reflecting the moonlight into the room. Izuku watched Katsuki curl twisted on the bed, the comforter still plainly at the foot of the bed. Compassion drove Izuku to tuck the covers up and to the blond’s shoulder, only stopping when he noticed the questioning crimsons.
“S-sorry! I just didn’t want you to get cold… Goodnight, Katsuki.”
Diving into his own bed Izuku could only hope he hadn’t made the other nervous. Thankfully, Katsuki seemed to just melt back into the bed, head on one of the extra pillows as he never let go of the pillow and shirt. While it was odd, Izuku wondered if it was a form of comforting oneself. Nevertheless, sleep came surprisingly easy for the freckled teen, even under watchful crimson hues.