If I Had One Wish

Chapter Thirty Eight

Chapter Thirty Eight - Mother knows best

Protect what you love.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

He couldn't sleep.

He knew that that was probably unexpected and that he was known for sleeping early but he couldn't get his brain to turn off. He couldn't stop turning back and forth restlessly, his eyes closing to memories from past encounters with words he didn't remember saying.

He had to call his mom, his dad. The thought stirred, like a volcano that filtered down until it rested in the pit of his stomach uncomfortably like a wad of gum stretched over gravel. His thoughts stepped over each other, digging uncomfortably until he sat up in defeat.

He couldn't sleep.

Tiredness etched into his features didn't matter, he couldn't get himself to rest. His ears tuned into the air howling outside against the window, snow starting to accumulate and flutter just past the reflective surface and catch light on the lampposts like stars.

He couldn't sleep.

It was like a mantra inside his head, whispering to him softly to get up but also lay down and begin to rest. But he couldn't. Clicking his phone open and sitting up in bed his body bent, bones aching from laying uncomfortably still for so long in hopes of drifting off into a slumber. He squinted at the onslaught of light that his phone's brightness gave off, quickly lowering it while running his free hand through his mussed hair in frustration.

He couldn't sleep and that made him grumpy by default. His hands tugged on the ends of his ash blonde locks, the stinging sensation going ignored as he scrolled slowly through his contacts. He couldn't call his family now, it was far too late into the evening to do so but he felt the itch to just stare at the contact on his screen.

After what happened with Izuku and his father Katsuki found himself having a newfound appreciation for his closeness with his dad. He found himself feeling guilty, wanting to reach out and appreciate what he had. Be grateful that even though shit was bad sometimes he had these two rocks in his life, he could lean on them comfortably and without worry. Izuku didn't have that. Was it selfish to think that seeing his struggle made Bakugou far more grateful for what he had?

The screen flickered to a close after not being tapped for a long time, darkness once again engulfing Katsuki's hunched figure. The thin white sheet underneath the black duvet covered him, the larger blanket thrown down to the floor sometime in his tossing and turning. He stared at the phone, tracing the pineapple icon on the metal backing, sighing.

He wondered, briefly, if he should have known more about Izuku. If he hadn't bullied him, wouldn't they be closer? Would they have saved time and have had each other as emotional blankets? Would they have been different? Would they have not been together?

He halted those thoughts, rolling his eyes. It was pointless to go around in loops, rethinking conversations and memories got him nowhere.

But it did give him an idea. He closed his contact list before straying towards the app on the third page in his phone, the one Kaminari made him download. He checked to see who was online, some had sleeping icons beside their profile while others, like Hitoshi, lay bright green showing they were online.

He stared at Izuku's profile, on the side bar under Kirishima's icon of Crimson Riot. They didn't really text much, they had no need to with how often they were close together. He watched the icon, bright green and taunting.

Izuku never liked sleeping early. He stayed up late into the night and awoke early in the morning, unable to rest and always wanting to move.

Rice_Krispie_BoNes: Why are you up?