Chapter Text
It wasn't new for Shouto to have nightmares, but that didn't make them any easier. It was common for him to dream about his childhood, his harsh training, his mother trying to protect him, and Endeavor's mocking smile.
However, that night, besides his childhood, there was another dream, a new nightmare to torment him during the day.
He was on a cliff beside Bakugo, both looking at the waves crashing in the sea, meters below them.
He could feel the wind violently messing up his hair.
Bakugo smiled at him as he approached, and then, suddenly, his expression completely changed. He looked at Todoroki with nothing but hatred and disgust.
They were almost at the edge of the cliff now and then Bakugo grabbed him by the neck. Todoroki tried to react but his body wouldn't obey. Bakugo leaned into him.
"Did you really think I would be friends with someone like you?" He laughed. "You, half-and-half? So weak and useless." With that, Bakugo threw him into the sea. As Shouto fell, he saw Endeavor approaching Bakugo, smiling, and patting his back.
He was about to hit the water, and then he woke up, sitting up in bed with a start, trembling and breathing heavily.
He looked at the sleeping figure in the other corner of the room. A mess of blond hair and blankets, Katsuki Bakugo - his roommate.
The change had happened about two months ago. Aizawa had notified them that due to some internal factors, U.A. was pairing them up in the dormitory.
He handed them a list with the names of who their roommates would be, and there it was:
Todoroki Shouto / Bakugo Katsuki
Shouto looked at Class 1A, searching for his new roommate's reaction, and when he saw him, Bakugo was already giving him a deadly look - red eyes condemning every part of his soul. Shouto tried to wave discreetly at him, but the blond just rolled his eyes and left the room.
Their relationship had improved since then, but Bakugo refused to admit they were friends, always expressing his hatred for Todoroki when someone insinuated it. Shouto tried not to care, he knew the blond was difficult and stubborn when it came to showing feelings, but he had to admit it was exhausting at times. And his nightmare was definitely not helping him get over it.
Shouto needed to get out of this room, he didn't know what time it was, but it was still dark outside. He didn't care. Todoroki didn't know why this nightmare had affected him so much, it wasn't as if he and Bakugo had a special bond, right? He supposed the idea that someone he trusted was working with Endeavor was too much for his mind to handle... right? Awkwardly putting on his shoes and grabbing a jacket while making his way to the door, he was about to reach the doorknob when he heard a hoarse voice behind him.
"Where are you going, Icyhot?" He turned to see a sleepy Bakugo looking at him with one eye open, still in his bed.
"Getting some air," Shouto replied slowly as he calmed down. Bakugo looked at the clock before turning back to him.
"It's 3:00 AM. It's too early to be up, get back to bed, half-and-half." And he closed his eyes to go back to sleep.
Shouto took the opportunity and hurried out of the room.
Bakugo opened his eyes again at the sound of the door closing. What the hell was that half-and-half idiot doing?
Normally, Bakugo wouldn't care, but he had just woken up from a dream that left him happier than he would like to admit.
The blond was lying on a lawn, Todoroki's face hovering above him. He was leaning on his hands beside Katsuki's head, smiling softly at him while they exchanged sweet words.
He sighed heavily. Of course, out of all people, he had to fall for that stupid bastard.
Bakugo got up, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room. He frowned. It wasn't uncommon for him to see Todoroki waking up from a nightmare, but he usually didn't leave the room like this in the middle of the night.
He left the room, looking for his roommate. The wind hit him quickly; it was colder than usual today. Bakugo made his way to the small balcony. He had found Todoroki there a few times when the half-and-half needed some time alone.
"What the hell are you doing, you idiot?" Bakugo said as he saw him, a slight tone of irritation in his voice. Todoroki was standing with his back to him, leaning on the balcony, looking at the cityscape in front of them.
He didn't respond, and now Bakugo was really annoyed. "If you don't get back to the room now, I'll lock the door and leave you out here!"
"Okay," Todoroki murmured.
"Why don't you just die already!?" He yelled, but the other didn't seem fazed by his insults, probably used to them by now. Damn.
Fine, then he'd try a different approach. Bakugo walked up to him and grabbed his arm, leading him back to their room. Todoroki flinched at the initial touch but let himself be led in the end.
Bakugo reached the room and shoved Todoroki inside, closing the door behind him as he entered. He then locked it and took the key with him just to be sure. It wasn't a real threat, of course; they both had their own keys, and the bastard could leave if he wanted.
He threw himself back onto his bed and watched as Todoroki wrapped himself up in his blankets again. He was trembling and looked very fragile—like he always did after a nightmare—but tonight he seemed especially shaken. Seeing him like this always broke Bakugo's heart. He wanted to pull him into his arms and stroke his half-and-half hair until he fell asleep. He would never do that. But he couldn't leave him alone to deal with it either.
"Icyhot," he called. Todoroki hummed in response. Katsuki took a deep breath—he was about to say something he would regret later—"Come here," Bakugo said as he moved to the left side of his bed.
"W-what?" Todoroki murmured.
Bakugo rolled his eyes. "I can't sleep with you trembling like you're about to break," he said, trying to sound annoyed.
"Oh." Todoroki seemed frozen for a moment, then he got up and started to approach. He lay down gently on Katsuki's bed, which was big enough for both of them to be comfortable without touching.
With one last look at the hero beside him, Bakugo rolled his eyes for the thousandth time that night and turned his back to him.
This definitely wasn't how they had fallen asleep—Katsuki noticed as he woke up.
Todoroki had a hand in his blond hair, and one of Bakugo's arms was wrapped around his waist. He had to admit, it was almost adorable. But the day needed to start.
Bakugo got up carefully so as not to wake Todoroki and smiled as the other let out some disgruntled murmurs.
After checking the clock, which read 6:30, he went through his morning routine and left to meet Kirishima for their daily walk.
Shouto woke up confused. Wasn't the window supposed to be on the left side of his bed? Oh, right, this wasn't his bed.
He slowly remembered last night. Had Bakugo really called him to sleep in his bed? Apparently, yes.
He got up slowly; it was now 9:00 AM, so Bakugo should be with his friends. He mentally thanked the fact that there were no classes today—Shouto wasn’t sure how he would react if he saw the other boy right now.
He kept thinking about his dream; he knew that Bakugo wouldn’t betray him like that, but part of him wondered if the blond’s thoughts about him might be the same as his dark counterpart's.
Maybe he found Shouto annoying, as he had said many times before, but Shouto had never taken those words seriously. Now, he wondered if Bakugo had grown to like him or had merely learned to live with him.
Well, he would have to find out. He thought of something his best friend—Momo Yaoyorozu—had once told him about a girl she was in love with: "You know, sometimes the best way to find out if someone likes you is to ignore them for a while, and if they miss you, you have your answer." Maybe it could work in a friendship too, right?
Todoroki supposed that he might have been a bother to his roommate, with all his nightmares and sleepless nights. He had made Bakugo very irritated that night, even causing him to invite him to sleep in his bed just to get a little peace.
He took a deep breath; well, it was time to find out the truth, no matter how much it might hurt.