pandora's box [bakudeku/tododeku] [pt.1 of where's my love fic series]

someone to spend time with

summary: hisashi continues training izuku as christmas comes around the corner. katsuki battles with himself on whether to tell his parents about what izuku told him. shoto gets caught.

notes: this chapter's song: "someone to spend time with" by los retros. also, wattpad's formatting is a bit odd, so in this chapter, if i underline something i mean to strikethrough.

warnings: child abuse, implications of child abuse, some violence, nightmare, mentions of anxiety, anxiety attack.

soft tapping against the window wakes up the boy with two-toned hair, his eyes shooting wide open. his gaze immediately flickers towards the small opening of the fort, blinking when a bright flash of white illuminates the room, followed by the sound of thunder clapping.

it's just the rain. still...i thought i heard someone again.

shoto shakes his head, ignoring the small shiver that runs through his spine. warmth blooms throughout his body as he peers down to his chest, finding a mess of green curls. shoto freezes, noticing izuku's hand gripping his hoodie, not used to feeling another weight on his body while sleeping. he pulls the blankets closer to izuku's body, noticing the small shivers coming from him.

it has been a couple of years since his mother had last cuddled him to sleep, and he is always separated from his siblings thanks to his dad.

if it had been anyone else, shoto would've pushed them away. but it's midoriya. he's my friend.

shoto feels his cheeks heat up as he stares at the boy in his arms, the soft glow of the lights they had set up earlier inside the fort illuminating the freckled boy's face.

in the darkness, shoto feels his left side start to get warmer, making him immediately panic. he decides to focus on the soft pitters and platters of the rain, letting izuku cuddle him as he sleeps. his cuddles feel warm, like a little touch of something shoto can't place. it's warm.

i can't stay here much longer. it's a saturday and father is going to wake me up early for training. i should get going.

shoto knows he should get going, remembering the warning his older brother had given him before leaving.

    "shoto, i'm covering for you but come back before the sun is up, okay? we don't want dad finding out. you know what he'd do."

but despite his brother's warning, shoto wants to be selfish for once. he finally has a friend, an amazing friend that doesn't judge him for who he is. even if he doesn't know who my father is or what my quirk is. can't i just stay here?

shoto wishes he could extend the night just so he could stay close to izuku for longer, safe in each other's embrace. his father isn't here. no training. no yelling. no crying. cozy. like a home. with izuku's arms now wrapped right around shoto's chest, it brings him a peace he can't remember if he's known before, convincing shoto to close his eyes. just five more minutes.

those five minutes quickly pass as soon as the next five, and before shoto knows it, the sun is starting to peek out from the horizon. reluctantly shoto finds himself exiting izuku's home, pulling the hoodie down on his face. it's still quite dark out, the sun not fully up yet as shoto quickly leaves the apartment, dismissing the sleek, black car pulled up in front of the apartments.

the warmth shoto felt with izuku fades as he walks back home in the rain, any hints of sleepiness wearing off as the cold wind hits his cheeks. he quickens his pace, knowing he doesn't have much time before his father wakes up.