Chapter 22

It was yet another sleepless night for the two teenagers. Their minds were whirring endlessly with the recent turn of events where Izuku's secret of being gay had been let out in the open. The greenette was beyond mortified and wouldn't show his face around anyone, no matter how hard Katsuki tried. Izuku had been coped up inside Katsuki's bedroom where Mitsuki laid down a futon for him before he finished his shower. Let's just say that there was no way of getting the freckled boy out from under the covers.

Katsuki had tried luring him out in different ways. He offered to watch his favorite All Might movie, promised to buy him his favorite ice cream for a month, even promised him he wouldn't laugh, but Izuku wasn't having any of it. The blond had been awfully patient with the greenette, having hoped that he would eventually at least pop his head out. Unfortunately for him, that wasn't the case.

It was already two in the morning and the greenette had been hiding since nine in the afternoon. How could he go so long under there? If it were Katsuki, he would've been out in under five minutes to get a breath of fresh air. It was frustrating.

Katsuki was currently sitting cross-legged on the edge of his bed, glaring down at the slumped form of Izuku under the covers. He could hear a set of footsteps going down the stairs, and an idea popped to him. If what he had in mind didn't get the freckled boy out of hiding, then he was going to hate himself for the rest of his life.

"Alright, I'm done being patient with you," Katsuki huffed, uncrossing his legs and standing up from his bed. "You don't wanna show your face, fine. I'm gonna drag your ass downstairs, I don't care if you're gonna play fucking ghost for the rest of the night."

Izuku's eyes widened and he shifted lightly, wondering just what the hell the blond meant. He didn't have to wonder for long, as a surprised squeak left his mouth the moment he felt Katsuki's fingers wrapping around his covered ankles. The blond began literally dragging him, stopping briefly to open the bedroom door.

"K-Kacchan what the hell?!"

"If you don't want to bang your head against every fucking step, then you better stand up," Katsuki warned. Izuku clumsily freed his ankles and stood up, the covers still draped over his body. He was about to head back to his futon, but Katsuki's fingers found their way to his wrist and began pulling him down the stairs. Izuku started protesting, almost twisting his ankles at least twice while doing his best to take the steps. It was quite a challenge, alright.

Katsuki's parents were chatting by the kitchen island, a mug of coffee on both of their hands. They both wore a robe and looked pretty exhausted, and Katsuki immediately knew they were trying to pull an all-nighter. The two adults took notice of them, Mitsuki raising an eyebrow in both—amusement and wonder. Katsuki stopped in front of the two, releasing Izuku's wrists and taking a deep breath.

"Boys, why are you still up?" Masaru asked with a tilt of his head. Mitsuki had briefed him in on what happened a few hours ago, and didn't even question Izuku's appearance.

"Izuku, dear, you can stop hiding now," Mistuki chuckled lightly. Izuku was about to answer, but Katsuki beat him to it.

"I'm gay," Katsuki blurted out, causing a wave of silence to overcome them. Yes, his mother already knew, but the greenette didn't know that yet. Izuku's eyes widened like saucers, his hands tugging down on the blanket unconsciously to stare at the blond in astonishment.

What the fuck?!

Mitsuki and Masaru blinked twice, looking at each other before looking back at Katsuki. He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous, because the sweat on his palms was accumulating fast that it made him fear that he might accidentally activate his quirk. He might regret having said that, but at least he got Izuku to finally stop hiding.

Mitsuki quirked an eyebrow at him, Katsuki subtly bobbing his head in Izuku's direction, hoping she understood what he wanted to say. With a sigh, Mitsuki rolled her eyes, fortunately catching on. "Tell me something I don't know."

"What the fuck do you mean?! You knew?!"

"For quite a while now," Mitsuki snorted, and Masaru chuckled from beside her.

Izuku was still shook by Katsuki's revelation, his freckled cheeks also flushing red against his pale skin. He couldn't believe it! Was Katsuki really telling the truth? Judging by his parent's reaction, he was actually being serious. Buy, why did he randomly come out of the closet?

"Wait, how—" Katsuki trailed off, still wondering just how they knew. "Why didn't you say anything before, old hag?!"

"Because it doesn't really matter to us whether you're gay or not. As long as it doesn't hold you back on achieving your goals, we're alright with it," Mitsuki explained, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

"Plus, we knew you would tell us when you felt ready. We didn't want to pressure you," Masaru smiled gently, taking a sip of his coffee.

"You might be an annoying brat, but we still love you no matter what," Mitsuki smirked, ruffling his son's hair causing him to protest. With a chuckle, she turned to Izuku who was still too stunned to speak. "The same goes for you, Izu. You liking boys does not change how we feel or think about you. You're a wonderful kid with a great heart, and you deserve the best."

Izuku's eyes watered, a big wave of relief surging through his veins. He had not expected to hear those words from them—or anybody in that matter. The acceptance that radiated off their gentle smiles had him on the verge of tears, not realizing how much he needed it. He had only revealed his sexuality to his mother in the past (obviously before Uraraka), but her reaction was the complete opposite of what he had expected.

It did not bring happy memories.

"You two try to get some rest, we need to go back to doing some work," Masaru said, cleaning his and Mitsuki's mugs. They gave a slow nod, Mitsuki stepping forward and embracing them both in a tight hug, pecking Izuku's cheek. Katsuki, surprisingly, didn't pull away from the hug and accepted it.

The two adults made their way upstairs, Mistuki sending a sly wink to the blond. He was grateful that his mother went along with his unspoken idea. They were both speechless, Izuku finally meeting Katsuki's eye shyly. The blond was still slightly embarrassed, but he made eye contact with the greenette regardless. "About damn time you fucking showed your face."

"U-Uh, I..." Izuku trailed off, bringing his hand up to run it through his curls. "I wasn't...expecting that."

"I told you I wasn't going to laugh," Katsuki huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Izuku offered him a sheepish smile, causing the blond to roll his eyes. "This shit better stay between us. I don't want shitty hair or anyone else finding out. At least not yet."

"Even if I said anything they wouldn't believe me," Izuku said with a chuckle, earning a glare. "But I won't say!"

"Good," Katsuki said and flicked his forehead with a little too much strength, causing the greenette to wince. "Now, you don't have to be fucking ashamed of liking boys. You're training to be a hero, things like your sexuality doesn't matter."

"Y-Yeah," Izuku stuttered out, blushing as he rubbed the sore spot. A yawn escaped the blond's mouth as the tiredness started settling in.

"Let's go to bed already," Katsuki said, switching the light of the kitchen off and heading for the stairs. Not wanting to be left behind, Izuku grabbed his blanket and followed suit, staring at the back of Katsuki's head. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel relieved about the blond's confession. It made his heart flutter in useless hope. Not only did he like a boy he believed he'd never have a chance with, that boy is also gay.

Was he in a parallel universe or something? It was all too good to be true.

Stepping inside the blond's bedroom, Izuku closed the door behind them and Katsuki let himself fall face first on top of his bed. Izuku settled down on his futon, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders. Katsuki raised his head from the bed and rested it on one of his hands, glancing at the greenette.

"Did you bring your vitamins?" When the greenette grimaced and shook his head, Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Figured much."

"I don't really need them," Izuku said nonchalantly, brushing off the obvious glare the blond sent him.

"Don't need them my ass," Katsuki snorted.

"I don't!" Izuku argued with a pout. He honestly hated taking those vitamins every single night thanks to Katsuki. Was it frustrating not being able to sleep properly because of the nightmares? Yes, but being forced to sleep wasn't any good either.

"Alright, whatever you say, nerd," Katsuki sighed, not wanting to discuss the matter any further. He was too tired to retort or smack some sense into the greenette. Don't get him wrong, he understood why Izuku refused the vitamins. Forcing him to take them didn't feel right, but it was all for his health.

The two got cozy under their covers after brushing their teeth, bidding a quiet goodnight and shutting off the bedside lamp. Darkness engulfed the room and everything went deadly silent. The moonlight that seeped through the slits of the velvety curtains casted a few shadows accross the room. Izuku stared at the dark ceiling, feeling physically exhausted but his mind being wide awake. He tossed and turned, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"You've been moving around for the past ten minutes," Katsuki grumbled out in a low, husky voice. Apparently, Izuku did a terrible job at not making much noise.

"Sorry," Izuku mumbled, laying completely still to not make another sound. Katsuki kept quiet for a minute, thinking.

"You can't sleep?"

"I'm trying," Izuku replied honestly. He so desperately wanted to fall asleep, but his stupid mind was too much active to even let him close his eyes. Insomnia was one annoying son of a bitch.

Without thinking it twice, Katsuki sat up on his bed and scooched to the side. "Get up here."

"Huh?" Izuku asked, blushing deeply when Katsuki patted the empty spot next to him. At times like that he thanked the darkness that hid his flushed cheeks.

"You heard me. Move your stupid ass up here already," Katsuki said, trying to hide the nervousness behind his voice. He felt crazy inviting Izuku to sleep on the bed next to him. They had slept on the same bed before, when they were younger. But now it was different. Before, they were just kids oblivious to the emotion of love. Now, they were teenagers painfully aware of each other's presence and the way they made each other feel.

Izuku hesitantly got put from under his covers and slowly made his way to Katsuki's bed. The blond watched as he clumsily made his way through the mostly dark room, fighting off a small smile that threatened to break free. Izuku reached the bed in no time, slowly taking a seat on the empty spot. Katsuki laid back down and draped the covers over his shoulder, not saying anything.

"U-Uh, do you want me to...sleep here?" Izuku asked uncertainly. The blond didn't give him an explanation, after all.

"You might be able to fall asleep by having someone beside you. I might not be the best person, but you'll have to suck it up." Katsuki mumbled. Truth be told, he actually had been wanting to sleep next to the greenette ever since the first night Izuku had stayed at his dorm. But he obviously wasn't going to admit that out loud.

Izuku nodded slowly, finally laying down and dragging the covers over his body. The first thing he noticed was how Katsuki's warmth spread through his body, giving his a sense of calmness. He could feel himself starting to losen up and relax his muscles. It felt nice.

"Try to sleep. I'll stay awake until you fall asleep," Katsuki said. Izuku complied, already feeling how his frantic thoughts slowly stopped whirring through his mind. The sweet, comforting scent of caramel swept through his nose, and he couldn't help the small, content smile that claimed his lips.

True to his word, Katsuki stayed awake, secretly watching the nerd. He enjoyed watching his features relax and the crease between his eyebrows slowly disappear. It only took a few minutes for Izuku's breath to become heavy, finally succumbing to the most needed sleep. Katsuki waited a few minutes, letting himself smile, and brushed a green curl away from Izuku's adorable face.

The greenette shifted in his sleep, causing Katsuki to freeze up. He feared that he had accidently woken him up, but what Izuku did had him blushing on a whole new level.

Izuku's breath fanned over Katsuki's neck as he buried his face on the crook of the blond's neck while asleep. It sent a chill down Katsuki's spine, but he didn't dare move. If you had told Katsuki a year ago that he would be simping over Izuku's breathing, he would've blasted you all the way over to the moon in annoyance.

But now? He would probably still blast you off to the moon, but out of complete embarrassment because he knew that it was totally true. He would obviously not admit it, though.

He was royally fucked.