Balanced Out // TodoDeku (On Hold Until My Writer's Block Swallows a Toaster)

Strange Behaviour (Midoriya's POV)

"Midoriya."

My eyes shoot open and I sit up.

Todoroki is staring at me with a worried expression.

I'm breathing heavily...irregularly. I run my fingers through my hair and clutch my heart with my other hand.

"You had a nightmare....are...you alright?" he asks tenderly.

I swallow and try to catch my breath.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm...I'm fine. It...was just a dream," I reply.

It was just a dream...

He looks concerned.

"Does this happen often?"

"No...well...kind of...it's...hard to explain...what time is it?" My voice cracks while asking that.

He checks his phone.

"1:53," he responds, blinking hard at the light.

"O-okay..." I mumble.

I trace beneath my eyes with my fingertips. My face is damp.

"Midoriya..." he whispers.

I look at him.

"What happened? In your nightmare...? I...just...I woke you up when you started crying..."

I don't want to tell him, so I make a random excuse.

"I..I forgot...sorry..."

"Ah...I guess I just...thought that maybe..." he sighs. "Uhm...n-never mind..."

"Okay...? I'm gonna...head down...to the common space..."

"You might get in trouble though...if you get caught..."

"I'll be back up in no time...coffee doesn't take too long to make..."

"You're going down there to make coffee?"

"Yeah...I don't...feel like going back to sleep tonight."

"That...makes sense, but that's probably not good for your mental health..."

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine."

"If...if you say so."

I plaster a big, fake smile across my face to reassure him and slip out of his dorm silently. He whispers something that I don't hear as I leave. My curiosity is peaked, but I ignore it and head down to the common space, my smile fading as soon as he can't see me anymore.

I reach the kitchen and make some coffee with 3 sugars and 3 cream to balance things out, but make sure it's still strong.

"Deku? What are you doing up?" I hear a familiar, yet groggy, voice ask from behind me.

I spin around toward the voice and see Kacchan approaching me.

"Oh! Hi, Kacchan! I...I-I could ask you the same thing actually..." I stammer, somewhat frantically.

"You sound like you're up to something, nerd," he presses, growing irritated. "What the hell are you doing down here?"

"Um...I just...made some coffee..." I tell him, slightly intimidated.

"Why?" he asks, getting closer.

"I just...uh...woke up and...wanted some coffee?"

I'm not exactly lying, so...

"I swear to god, Deku...you're starting to piss me off," he tells me, snarling.

"S-sorry, Kacchan..."