healing takes time (none of it is linear)

Chapter 8

Nightmares were the bane of Izuku's existence. They reminded him of things he rather not remember and then forced him to stay awake longer than he would have liked.

Most of the time, including right now, the nightmares left Izuku crying into his pillow.

A part of him wanted to go to the alpha's room to seek comfort, but he didn't want to bother them. They wouldn't want him waking them up anyway.

So instead, after Izuku was able to stop crying, he paced around his room trying to get the scene out of his head.

Get the feeling of the hands off his body.

Get the words out of his head.

He tried to remind himself that he wasn't with the alpha's who would do that. That he was safe. But he couldn't believe it. He was trying so hard to believe it. They had given him no reason to think otherwise. So he should be ok. He should be ok. Why isn't he ok?

He was going to start crying again when the door to his room cracked open, and Izuku tried not to flinch when he saw the red hair poke in.

"Izuku? you ok?" Eijiro whispered, looking into the room.

"S-sorry- did I wake you up?" Izuku choked. His voice made it clear to the alpha that he had been crying.

Eijiro stepped into the room. "No, no, you didn't wake me up; I was coming back from the washroom and heard you pacing around. I was a little worried."

Izuku looked down. "Sorry-" he muttered.

"Hey, you did nothing wrong," Eijiro told him, brows furrowed as he scanned over the omega. Izuku was scratching his arm, leaving deep red lines behind where his nails dug into his skin. Eijiro carefully took his hands so he'd stop scratching. "Do you want to tell me why you're up at this time?" He asked softly. Up close, he could see the tears that still hadn't dried on his face.

"I- I don't want to bother you-" Izuku tried to say.

"It's ok. It wouldn't be bothering me."

Izuku stared at where Eijiro was holding his hands, silently wondering if he had a reason for taking his hands or if it was just something he did, having not realized he was scratching his arms earlier. "I... had a nightmare," he admitted. "Or- more like... a memory?"

Eijiro hummed softly, running his thumbs over the backs of Izuku's hands. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

Izuku shook his head. He'd rather forget about it. "You- you should probably go back to bed- I don't want to bother you-"

"You're not bothering me," Eijiro told him again, cupping one of the omega's cheeks in his hand. He brushed his thumb over his cheek to wipe away the lingering tears.

Izuku let himself nuzzle into it, closing his eyes for a moment. "O-ok..." he muttered.

Eijiro smiled at him. "Would it help if I stayed with you for the night?" He asked.

It would... but Izuku hesitated, "I... yeah..." he whispered. Eijiro brought an overwhelming sense of safety wherever he went, and Izuku wouldn't mind him staying the night.

"Ok," Eijiro whispered, "get settled in bed. I'll sit over here."

Izuku took a small step toward the bed, then shyly tugged on the alpha's hand, hoping he'd get the message.

"You want me to sleep with you then?" Eijiro couldn't help the way that made him smile when Izuku nodded.

The omega was too embarrassed to speak. He felt like his face was on fire.