Title: Embrace me

Part: 1/1

Author: Rebi

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia

Rating: PG12

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Friendship

Pairing: -

Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine! Only the idea comes from my own imagination.

Summary: Katsuki and Izuku can't sleep and finally find a solution together.

Embrace me

Frightened, he opened his eyes wide, staring into the darkness.

His heart was beating fast. Way too fast for his taste.

His breath rattled quietly and uncontrollably.

'Calm down... Everything is okay...' he thought, swallowing dry and slowly straightening up.

He consciously watched his breathing to calm himself.

"Just a nightmare..." he murmured to himself.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, felt the floor under his bare feet.

"Just a fucking nightmare..." he repeated.

His breathing slowed down and his heart calmed down.

He put his arms on his thighs, let his head hang slightly and closed his eyes. Again pictures flashed in front of his inner eye, which made him gasp for air in fright.

'Those damn... If I catch them, I'll kill them!'

He gritted his teeth, stood up and quietly left his room. He had to get out, need to get some fresh air, need to come to other thoughts.

The images that followed him into his dreams just wouldn't let him go, so he hadn't even noticed that he still wasn't wearing shoes. Only when he felt the damp grass under his feet, he looked down at himself. He was still just wearing his shorts and the t-shirt. Both were slightly wrinkled.

For a moment he wondered if he should go upstairs again to change his clothes, but immediately rejected the thought again. It was the middle of the night! So who would see him like this?

He raised his eyes, looked up to the sky. Thin clouds covered the stars again and again. The moon was just a narrow crescent. In a night or two, he'd be out of sight.

He knew those nightmares were always the worst at new moon. That's the way it's been for a few month now.

Ever since he was kidnapped.

He bit his teeth together again, clenched his fists. 'Those bastards! They'll pay for this!'

Again he tried to calm himself with conscious breathing. He wouldn't let himself be intimidated by a few nightmares. He wasn't weak! Not at all!

And yet... there was something inside him he didn't want to name because he knew exactly what it was. Fear.

He began to tremble slightly, wrapped his arms around himself. Yeah, he was scared. Hideous fear that he might become the target of these villains again, that they would kidnap him again to pull him to their side. Afraid of being rescued by the others again. Afraid of standing in each other's way, of being a block on the road.

A hot tear came out of the corner of his eye and searched its way down his cheek.

The desperation that he had not been able to do anything at all made him sink down.

'I'm not weak...' the thought, closing his eyes. More tears joined the first, burned on his skin, dripping on his shorts and soaking them.

.~*~.

Izuku wasn't been able to sleep well for a few weeks now. Restless, he lay in bed, staring one hole after the other into the ceiling above him, waiting for tiredness to triumph.

Inside, he was agitated by recent events. He couldn't just switch off, let his thoughts be thoughts, leave them behind.

But it was actually so easy. Thinking of nothing and slide slowly to sleep.

He'd tried so many things before.

Counting sheep was just one item on the long list. A variation he didn't like at all. It always annoyed him when he miscounted and afterwards he was more awake than before.

He had tried different breathing techniques, but even that didn't give him the peace he needed.

With a sigh he sat up, put on his training clothes and decided to go for a run. Maybe that would make him a little more tired.

Quietly he took the stairs of the dorm down, then opened the door and stepped outside.

The night air received him with a cold embrace and made him shiver.

He looked around and blinked. Someone was crouching in the grass, not far from him.

The moon was just covered by a thicker cloud, so Izuku could only perceive the surroundings as shades.

It was getting lighter. The cloud moved on. The pale light of the crescent moon now illuminated the figure.

The green-haired one blinked again. He knew that person. He knew this person like no one else. The blond hair, the muscles, this back!

'Kacchan...' he thought. 'Why is he wearing so little?'

Following an inner inspiration, he took off his training jacket and slowly walked towards the other.

The grass rushed quietly under his steps, but Katsuki didn't seem to notice it at all.

Izuku stopped behind him, then put his jacket over his shoulders. "What are you doing out here?" he asked very softly.

Katsuki was scared to death. He felt the fabric on his skin, felt the warmth that came from it, heard the voice he knew from a young age. And even though he knew he was safe here, his head blacked out for a moment. He jumped up and took two direct steps away from Izuku, went into a defensive posture.

The jacket slipped off his shoulders and lay between the two boys in the grass.

Izuku looked at him scared. "I didn't mean to scare you..." he apologized, stepped on him and picked up his jacket.

Katsuki looked at him, only realizing moments later that Izuku and only Izuku stood in front of him, that there was no danger from him.

As if this realization had flipped a switch inside him, he sank back into himself, now kneeled in the damp grass and wrapped his arms around his upper body again.

"Kacchan..." Izuku spoke very softly to him.

Of course the green-haired one hat noticed. Katsuki had changed. It was just a little bit. For someone who didn't know him well not being able to recognize. But Izuku had known him almost all his life. Of course he had noticed the change!

Slowly he bridged the distance between them with two smaller steps, kneeled down in front of Katsuki and put his jacket over his shoulders again.

"Come on, let's go inside. You'll catch a cold out here" he said softly.

"Stay away, Deku..." Katsuki's voice was rough. She lacked the usual rage that was always heard from him.

"You know as well as I do that I don't stick to it when you demand something like this from me" Izuku smiled.

Katsuki raised his head, looked into the green eyes that looked at him calmly.

Izuku looked at him, saw the still wet traces of tears, saw the reddened eyes, saw the pain and fear in this familiar face in front of him. He saw the despair in the eyes of the other and something tightened in his chest, clutching his heart.

He didn't think about possible consequences as he just pulled the other one into a hug.

Perplex held Katsuki the air and opened his eyes wide.

"What..." he brought out before his eyes started burning suspiciously again. He swallowed, but couldn't hold back the tears.

This simple embrace was what he had unconsciously longed for all this time. Someone who took him in his arms and told him that everything was all right.

Izuku pressed him harder. "You're already frozen to death..." he whispered almost shocked about this fact.

Katsuki sobbed dry and only very softly, then just clawed his hands into Izuku's t-shirt and buried his face on his shoulder, soaked the fabric there with his tears.

Izuku was surprised to feel the twitching and trembling when the body in his arms was again shaken by a silent sobbing, and began to stroke the back of the older one. "Everything is okay..." he whispered softly and reassuringly.

They sit like that until Katsuki really calms down. His hands, which were still clawed into the fabric, loosened slowly, but kept the hug upright.

Izuku felt it. He hadn't stopped whispering soothing words to the other, but now he fell silent.

"Don't you dare tell anybody about this..." Katsuki murmured harshly.

"No one will know..." the green-haired promised. "Let's go inside. We'll both catch a cold."

Izuku felt a nod on his shoulder and slowly dissolved the embrace.

He rose, held out his hand to the other and smiled encouragingly at him.

Katsuki shivered immediately after Izuku had released the embrace. He had to admit that it was a pleasant warmth that the younger one had shared with him.

He looked from the offered hand into Izuku's smiling face. It didn't upset him like it usually did when he saw him like that. It rather caused a warm feeling in his chest.

"Come, let's take you back to bed" Izuku teased him at that moment.

"Don't overdo it, Deku..." grumbled the blonde one, took the other's hand and immediately felt the pleasant warmth of Izuku again.

Without batting an eyelid, Izuku pulled him on his feet, simply kept Katsuki's hand in his and pulled him to the dorm.

"Who's exaggerating?" he wanted to know with a grin and looked over his shoulder back at the older one.

Katsuki had to smile unintentionally. He left the question unanswered. They both already knew the answer to that question.

Quietly they went up the stairs to the fourth floor and directly into Katsuki's room.

"Off to bed with you" Izuku quietly commanded and pressed the older one onto the mattress.

He let it happen to him, then pulled Izuku's jacket of his shoulders and laid it next to him, finally looking directly at the younger one.

"Thank you" it came softly through his lips.

On the face of the green-haired boy lay a gentle smile. It was the first time ever he heard such a thing from Katsuki. "You're welcome."

He took his jacket, put it on the chair and then hit the blanket back on the bed, looking at Katsuki waiting.

"You really meant that when you said you wanted to put me to bed?" he asked in surprise.

Izuku grinned cheekily and nodded. "Sure thing. And if you lie down well now, I might even stay until you fall asleep" he giggled.

"Hah?" Katsuki looked at him. This boy surprised him more and more. But his own behavior also threw him off concept. Normally he would at least have thrown him out of his room now and wished the devil on him, but he let it go. He was tired of quarreling all the time.

Izuku looked at him, let go of the blanket and stood up as he took a step back. He felt like he had gone too far. The whole situation had made him exuberant. Not it was he who had definitely exaggerated. He lowered his gaze when he stepped on it.

As he heard the rustling of the blanked he raised his head to see that Katsuki hat slipped under it.

"I... gotta go then..." Izuku said quietly and turned to the door.

"Deku..." he heard Katsuki's voice behind him.

He looked around, saw that the older one had slipped against the wall, now sitting and looking at him with a challenge.

"Stay..." he whispered, barely understandable.

"Yes, I'll stay away. Don't worry..." Izuku also replied very softly and sadly. He swallowed dry.

"No" Katsuki snarled, made him flinch. "Stay!" he said louder and lowered his gaze. "Please. Stay here."

Izuku had the feeling he had misheard himself. 'I should... really? Stay?' he thought.

Slowly he went back to bed, sat down on the ledge and looked at the blonde boy.

"I... only tonight... not alone..." he muttered incomprehensibly. A slight blush crept on his cheeks. He avoided Izuku's gaze and stared at his hands.

Again a smile lay on Izuku's face. He nodded. "Okay."

Shyly he lifted the blanket and slid under it, then looked at the older one.

Katsuki still avoided his gaze, but switched off the bedside lamp and slipped next to him.

So they lay next to each other, both on the side, looking at each other.

Their hands were under the blanket, holding each other tight.

Izuku still smiled, the closed his eyes. "Good night" he breathed.

Probably he wouldn't be able to sleep now because of the unfamiliar situation and not because of his restless thoughts, but at least he could watch over Katsuki's sleep.

Katsuki also closes his eyes. "Night..." it came softly and harshly from him.

He didn't try to think of the nightmares, but concentrated on the warmth emanating from Izuku's hand, but it wasn't enough. Again, pictures flashed that made him flinch.

Izuku felt the twitch, blinked and looked at the slightly cramped face of his opposite in the dark.

He slipped a little closer and pulled him again into a hug without comment.

Katsuki froze for a moment, but then let the closeness and warmth take effect, felt the strong arms holding him and finally relaxed. He wrapped one arm around the younger one and listened to the calm breath.

Completely relaxed, he finally drifted to sleep, this time without nightmares torturing him.

Izuku too finally relaxed properly and fell asleep a few minutes later.

Maybe that was exactly what they both needed. An embrace that excluded worries and fears and allowed only security and warmth.

~The end~