~BNHA~ Burning Hunger Within

Chapter 12

Light glinted through his dingy blinds, stinging Izuku's retinas as he continued to count the cracks on his ceiling for the hundredth time that night. Sleep had eluded him even as it lingered at the edges of his consciousness, teasing and beckoning him to rest.

But his mind would have none of it as it continued going over the events with Katsuki. His presence still lingered through the crevices of his room, grazing down his arms like phantom tendrils across his skin.

Izuku sat up to chase the other man's ghost away from his mind, and with the haze of insomnia, he went through his morning exercise.

The simplicity of his routine helped to clear his mind, but only for small moments at a time, as the images of Katsuki's stricken face at the hospital now took over his thoughts in their place.

Building up a decent amount of sweat, Izuku took a break, his mind unwilling to settle down.

He swiped his shirt across his brow as he decided on a smokes break.

The small patio was a rusty safety hazard, but the landlord didn't care to get it fix at this point. As he pulled out a cigarette, the cool air felt good against his bare torso. One good drag eased some of his withdrawal and helped to relax.

The pitch-black of night was long gone as the sunlight cast over the roof of the building across from his apartment.

The alley beneath him was quiet still, the stench of moldy trash and urine strong in the air, but it did not bother Izuku as he blew out a thin billow of smoke.

The events at the hospital came back to him, and Izuku closed his eyes in defeat. Katsuki had been keeping him updated with short handed text messages and the most recent news about Kirishima's condition had left Izuku reassured and disheartened.

The red headed didn't deserve to be in that state, and the guilt that Katsuki must feel after missing his call left a weight on Izuku for giving into his temptations.

They didn't know yet if the attack had anything to do with Katsuki's case or if it was an isolated incident, but Izuku doubted it was.

Any thoughts to the contrary were just wishful-thinking on his part. But it helped to stave off the guilt until he knew more.

Then there was Katsuki himself.

They hadn't spoken since Izuku left him at the hospital to work his shift at the coffee shop, and they both knew they needed to cross that bridge.

Eventually.

Not that he regretted a second of it. Nothing would make him regret Katsuki falling apart beneath him. His flushed face, as he called out to Izuku, would forever be ingrained and stored in his memories. He had been captivating and, more than anything, his dreams could ever conjure up.

But he knew he was playing with fire by continuing to give into the other man. As enthralled as he was, Katsuki wasn't supposed to be with Izuku. That was a fact that he knew, but Katsuki refused to accept. Izuku didn't know how to make the other man understand that he deserved to be proud of the person who stood next to him. Katsuki shouldn't have to feel ashamed of his partner and Izuku would bring nothing but shame.

At some point Izuku dropped into a restless sleep on his couch, the patio left open and forgotten as the cool breeze washed over him.

When he woke again, it was because of the ringing of his phone. Izuku stumbled off the couch and towards his room, his consciousness still trying to catch up to the waking world as he picked up without looking at the caller id.