Need You (ShinDeku)

Ch. 85 - Goodnight

A/N: so... the dream happens. Our two MCs are a little OOC, because remember, it's not really his dream, and he doesn't question it because he's dreaming and that's how dreams work.
Have fun reading!

Hitoshi POV

     "It's been a long day, how about we get you ready for bed?" I ask him, after I've gotten a hold of myself. I hope his ears don't pick up the shakiness in my voice.

     Earlier, when he stopped breathing, it took everything in me not to break down sobbing next to him. For a while he was completely unresponsive, and I panicked. What do you do in that situation? I couldn't even use my quirk.

     So I begged, because I was all out of other options. I don't even think he heard half of what I was saying, and it felt like an eternity of me holding him, pleading for him to breathe, to respond, anything. Trying my absolute hardest to not sound desperate and scared, because he didn't need to hear that from me right now.

     When he finally took a breath in, it felt like I had just narrowly escaped my own death. Relief and adrenaline pumped through my body so hard I felt lightheaded, and the urge to start sobbing came back twofold.

     Now, I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open, and I couldn't imagine how Izuku felt. I didn't want to think about the implications of why he had been crying in the first place, or about how he must feel about me to have said such a thing, to have said the words 'you're stressful.' I just wanted to sleep. I was exhausted enough that I was pretty sure even my insomnia wouldn't keep me up tonight. Hopefully that quirk wouldn't stop me either.

     "I'm sorry," he told me again, "I didn't mean it." His voice was quiet as he held onto my shirt sleeve. We were still on the ground, next to the beanbags. I didn't think we would end up back here again so soon.

     "I know, Izuku. It's okay," I told him, and his bottom lip wobbled.

"You're really important to me," he continued, pulling me closer by the arm. "I'm serious. I need you. I care about you so, so much." He pulled me into him and wrapped his arms tightly around me.

     My heart fluttered painfully at his words. In spite of myself, the reassurance felt good to hear, and I let myself be embraced by him on the floor.

     "I care about you so much too," I whispered, letting myself have that. It was the closest I'd probably ever get to confessing to him.

     Afterwords, I helped Izuku to bed, turning all but a lamp on our desk off on the way. "I'm just going to finish some stuff on my laptop," I told him as I tucked him into my bed, refraining from running my fingers through his long curls. His hand shot out from under the covers and latched onto me as I turned to leave, a look of betrayal across his face.

     "Do you need to?" He asked quietly, and after a moment of staring into his big teary eyes I forgot what he was asking about.

     "Wha- oh, uh, it's not urgent, I can..." I had meant to go work on my schedule, unsure of whether he wanted to fall asleep next to me after his confession of how stressful I apparently was, but seeing him now clinging to my arm with an expression verging on heartbroken, that was clearly not what he wanted.

     "Stay?"

      "Okay, I- okay," I gave in all to easily. "Just let me turn the lamp off, I'll join you." His face didn't change but he let me pull away, his hand falling to the pillow beside his head. I tried my best to not make it look like I was rushing as I tugged the curtain open a little as always for Izuku, then turned off the lamp at our desk.