Work Text:
A loud and violent explosion wakes Tenya up. He throws his covers off the bed, expecting to see a villain, maybe the reincarnation of Stain, but there is nothing. Loud, heavy breathing comes from above him. Ghost? No, ghosts aren’t real. Tenya’s figured it out, though.
Bakugou Katsuki is a bit of a social recluse. Tenya knows he would be first, furious and second, mortified if Tenya came to his aid after a nightmare. So, Tenya waits it out. Surely Kirishima heard that too, and Bakugou would likely be slightly less irritated if it was him. But it’s been an hour and he knows Kirishima has not woken and Bakugou has not gone to sleep. The all-too-familiar footsteps of post-nightmare pacing are pounding against his ceiling and he’s had enough. If not for Bakugou’s wellbeing, then for Tenya’s sleep.
“What the fuck do you want, Glasses?” Bakugou spits out whenever the door opens.
Deciding to ignore the swear for now, Tenya says, “I heard loud noises. I came to check up on you.”
“I don’t need fucking checking up on . I’m fine.” He is not. It isn’t until now that Tenya notices how dark the bags under Bakugou’s eyes have been getting lately. He has bloodshot eyes and Tenya does not know if he is imagining tear stains on his cheeks.
Tenya nods. “Very well then. Just know, I’m here for you.” He walks away.
Suddenly, he thinks about his wording. He hopes that didn’t come across as weird. He’s here for everyone in Class 1-A. Not just Bakugou. For a second, he considers turning back and clarifying, but perhaps that would make things worse. What would one even say in that situation anyways? Sorry, I’m not here for you actually! That’s not what I meant! That’s irrevocably awful. These thoughts keep Tenya up for the night more than Bakugou’s footsteps could.
The explosions happen again the next night. Kirishima still does not wake up. The boy is a rock, so maybe it makes sense that he sleeps like one too.
Bakugou does not seem easily shaken. Tenya wonders what nightmare could be horrific enough to scare Bakugou awake.
This is a bad idea. He should not knock on his door. He should not ask what’s wrong. He should not ask if Bakugou is okay.
“Bakugou.” Tenya knocks. “Are you alright?”
The door does not open, obviously.
“I know you said you’re fine. But you can talk to me if there’s something wrong, alright?” He tries to speak as quietly as possible, knowing well that Bakugou does not want to hear this and especially does not want anyone else to. Bakugou Katsuki is not vulnerable. Everyone knows that. Except Tenya, maybe. “I’m going back to bed now. Come get me if you need anything.” He waits, stupidly hopeful that Bakugou will open the door. He does not.
And so, Tenya walks back to the elevator. He almost thinks he hears Bakugou’s door open for a few moments and close again, but he knows it didn’t, so he doesn’t bother looking.
Tenya does not know why he is so worked up about this. Why he got hopeful. No, he does. It’s so he can sleep better. That’s all. Tenya needs his sleep.
Sleep he did not get. The third night, the same explosions, the same Tenya going to Bakugou’s door. Fourth night, same routine. The door is closed every time. Bakugou does not open it even though Tenya waits for him to yell at him. He waits for a “leave me alone.” He waits for a “get away from me.” He waits for a “stop trying to care for me.” He waits for something, anything which will make him feel like he really can, as Bakugou might put it, fuck off. Tenya doesn’t know why he wants that. Maybe if Bakugou tells him to fuck off, Tenya can stop feeling worried every time he hears Bakugou at night. Or he can stop making himself sad by envisioning what has Bakugou so worked up. But Bakugou does not tell him to get away or stop trying or fuck off. So it continues.
It’s the fifth night. Two a.m. The door is cracked open ever so slightly. Tenya, not wanting to overstep his boundaries, knocks, but either the door is lighter than he remembers, or he underestimated his own force again, because it opens further. Not fully, but enough so that Tenya can see Bakugou on his bed, head in his hands. It sounds like he’s faintly, very faintly, crying.
With a shaky body and a shakier voice, Tenya asks, “...Bakugou?”
Bakugou doesn’t look up, he just stops crying. It’s like he’s not surprised to see Tenya, and Tenya thinks, just for a second, that Bakugou left the door open on purpose. How silly of him to think so.
He does not dare enter the room. He waits outside, hands folded together nervously. “Are you okay?”
With a weak exhale, Bakugou shakes his head ‘no’ so lightly that Tenya barely registers it.
“Can I come in?” He’s waiting for Bakugou to get mad at him for speaking like he has to walk on eggshells around him.
“Come in before I slam the fucking door in your face.” There he is.
Tenya steps in and for the first time, even in the dark, he gets a good look at Bakugou’s room. There are hero posters on the walls. The ones of All Might look crinkled, like they were torn down and put back up again. There are bookshelves. Each shelf is filled to the brim, a few even overfilled. Apart from those, everything is so neat and tidy to the point where there’s almost nothing to remark on; its indescribable. Except for Bakugou’s bed.
It’s a mess, blankets and sheets blackened at the edges where they were presumably blown up and burned from explosions, pillows thrown off onto the floor. Everything’s pushed to the side, and Bakugou is sitting on the edge of the mattress, entire body trembling. He looks like the All Might posters in a way, like he’s been torn down and erected once more.
“I’m…” Tenya doesn’t know what to say. “I’m here–”
“Here for you,” Bakugou finishes for him. “Yeah, I know. I’ve heard it for the past week.”
Tenya chuckles under his breath. “Sorry, I’m not too good with comforting people.”
Bakugou looks up. He and Tenya make eye contact. The puffy eyes, red cheeks, and tears make Tenya’s stomach drop. “Then why do you try every day?”
“Because I care about you.” He says it like it’s obvious, because it is to him.
“Yeah, me and the rest of the class, Glasses,” Bakugou scoffs. “I don’t need anyone to care about me.”
“Sure, you don’t need it. But it’s nice to have,” Tenya says. The bed dips as Tenya sits next to him. “And yes, I care about the class. Of course I do. I think I just care a little more about you.”
Tenya accidentally sat too close, but Bakugou doesn’t move away. He just looks at him again. Mixed emotions stain his face as he searches for words. He ends up at: “ Why? ”
Tenya shrugs. “Everyone in the class has been through things. Obviously. Most of it we’ve gone through together. But you and I have additiona lburdens. You with–” he pauses. He doesn’t want to upset Bakugou further. “ Y’know. ” He exhales, gathering himself. He has never said this next thing out loud. “And me with my brother and the fact that I attempted murder.”
He can feel Bakugou freeze next to him.
“Stain. I just… I don’t want to go into details.” He fiddles with his hands nervously. There is no confident voice; there is no chopping of hands. “I feel like you’re the only one I could possibly connect with about those kinds of things. Of course, there’s Todoroki, and I don’t know why, but I’ve never felt that way with him.
“Anyways, I used to have horrible nightmares. When I woke up, they’d play on repeat and I couldn’t sleep and I was tired and irritable and started isolating myself. I wanted to be alone. I told everyone that I was fine and I put on a happy face as always but it was awful. I felt awful. It’s a terrible thing, to feel that way. I don’t want you to have to feel that way too.”
For the first time since he’s started talking, Tenya looks at Bakugou and Bakugou looks at Tenya. Tears are flowing down Bakugou’s cheeks. Tenya doesn’t know when he, himself, started crying, but obviously he did because everything is blurry. He hesitantly reaches a hand out and places it on Bakugou’s cheek. He wipes away a tear with his thumb. A sad smile graces his lips as he whispers, “You don’t have to feel this way.”
That’s the breaking point for Bakugou. He shoves his face in Tenya’s chest and starts sobbing uncontrollably. Not loudly, but noticeably. Tenya, surprised, slowly wraps his arms around the blond. He rubs circles on Bakugou’s back, the way Tensei used to do for him when he was younger.
He doesn’t know how long they sit there for. When Bakugou’s finished crying, Tenya releases him. He sits there for a bit before standing up and grabbing an extra sheet and blanket out of his closet. Wordlessly, Tenya helps him lay them down.
Bakugou slips under the covers, lying on his side.
“Wait,” Bakugou says. “Stay. Please.”
It’s the first time Tenya’s heard Bakugou say please. “I…” he hesitates. “I can’t. It’s against the rules, I’m sorry.”
“Please.” The panic in Bakugou’s voice is audible. “Don’t go. Stay, please, Tenya.”
And it’s the first time he’s heard Bakugou not call him ‘Glasses’.
He knows he shouldn’t. He’ll get in trouble if anyone finds out. He can not get in trouble. It would look horrible on him both as Tenya Iida and as Class President. But… he did ask nicely.
He slides into the bed next to Bakugou. The blonde’s head presses against his chest and he snakes an arm around Bakugou’s waist. “Is… Is this alright?”
Bakugou nods into his chest.
For the first time in five days, Bakugou and Tenya get a good night’s sleep.