"Denki? Are you... crying?"
The blond in mention jumped at the sound of his name, not noticing someone had walked into the dark room. It was around four in the morning so he hadn't expected anyone else to be up, let alone anyone to come downstairs into the common room. He quickly whipped his head around, searching for who the voice belonged to.
"Shoto?" Panicked, he quickly turned back around and tried to wipe his tears away. "Of course not, why would I be crying?" Denki asked, trying to act oblivious.
Shoto stood there for a moment, studying Denki, then moved to sit next to him without a word. They sat there for who knows how long, remaining silent the time. Finally, Shoto spoke.
"If you need someone to talk to, my door is always unlocked,"
"Oh, alright,"
Once again they were left in silence, Denki sniffling and Shoto sitting stiffly next to the blond. He had no idea how to comfort people and he lacked social skills but Shoto was determined to help his classmate. He often saw Izuku touch people when they needed comfort, but what if he did it wrong? He had never been the one to use physical contact unless it was during fights or training, and he rarely received it, so what did he know?
Diligently, Shoto reached his hand out, quickly finding Denki's, and intertwined their fingers. It was something he had seen his friends do countless times and it was easier than giving a hug considering their current position, so he figured it was the safest option to go with. He heard the other quietly gasp and he could feel Denki's gaze, worried he had somehow offended the boy he let go.
"Sorry,"
"Sho," Denki found his hand and intertwined their fingers once again. "You didn't do anything wrong, I was just surprised that's all!"
"Okay," They sat like that for a few more minutes, Denki's sniffling had died down and Shoto had finally relaxed and let himself lean against the couch. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No, not right now anyways," Denki looked at the dual-haired boy like he was contemplating something. After a few moments of staring, he asked, "Hey, do you mind if I stay the night in your room? I don't want to be alone."
"I have no problem with it," Shoto answered, standing up and pulling Denki up as well. "Let's go,"
The two weren't particularly close, in fact, the only time they hung out was when their respective groups did something together. Denki couldn't read Shoto, as he always wore a stoic expression, and that caused the blond to overthink.
They soon arrived at Shoto's room, standing there awkwardly not knowing how to proceed. "You can sleep in my bed," Shoto said, grabbing a blanket and pillow from the closet and throwing it onto the floor.
"What, no, you can have the bed, it's your room after all!" Denki argued.
"I don't mind,"
"Shoto, come on-'' they argued over it for about ten minutes, agreeing to just share the bed, both boys too stubborn to let the other sleep on the floor. Shoto was stiff, he hadn't shared a bed with someone, well, ever. At least, not from what he could remember. He didn't relax until Denki had fallen asleep, which happened rather fast, then he drifted into slumber as well.
When he awoke, the blonde was gone.
---
Shoto wasn't surprised when a few weeks later he stumbled upon the same scene as before. He quietly padded over and sat next to Denki, who jumped a little when he did so. Once he realized who it was he sighed and buried his face into his knees, not wanting Shoto to see his tears. Eventually, he stopped crying and laid his head on the other's shoulder.
