Chapter Text
Izuku’s life was great. He was in college, he had a few friends he would hang out with when he wasn’t holed away in his small apartment or working, and he had a boyfriend.
What more could he honestly ask for? He was happy with what he was being given, so why did he feel so… empty?
His classes weren’t difficult per se, and his boyfriend was loving enough, so truly it perplexed him.
“Izuku,” Rody called from his gaming chair, silver eyes peering over to meet green. Izuku’s heart fluttered at being addressed. Did Rody want to do something? Had he finally gotten bored with his video game? Izuku’s eyes flicker to the large TV only to see a new match still loading, so he looks back at Rody, his head tilting a bit in question. “Just seeing if you were still awake. How's the book?”
Ah.
His book was so quickly forgotten at the call of his name that Izuku couldn’t manage much more than a faux smile and a small nod. It was enough for his boyfriend; it always was. Silver eyes widen as his attention flickers to the TV in front of him; the match had started. A quick head pat was the last thing before Rody slipped his headset back on.
Izuku suppresses a sigh as he sinks back down into the blanket Rody had dubbed ‘Izuku’s blanket.’ He had sung this song, danced this dance so many times he knew that's the last time he would be spoken to for a while. But that is fine! Izuku has his books, a blanket, and a pillow to get cozy with.
Footsteps sound from the hallway, the heavy boots giving away Rody’s father before Izuku could even see him. Not that he was trying to be quiet, as he yells, “Dinner, boys!” Izuku didn’t bother picking up his book; instead, he slowly stood, his back and joints protesting from being curled up on the floor for so long. Rody continued to yell into his headset despite his teammate literally being his brother, who is sitting at his own setup right next to him.
Izuku didn’t bother tapping Rody, opting to wash up before supper instead. He grimaced to himself as he recalled it was steak and potatoes yet again. Not that Izuku would ever tell the kind family that he hates steak, so he can’t complain too much.
He creeps out of the bathroom, slowly and quietly, making his way to the kitchen. Rody and his brother aren’t in their gaming chairs, so they are likely already at the dinner table. Izuku steels his nerves and braces himself for the long and uncomfortable dinner. He always dreads this part of the evening. He quickly swipes his water bottle on his way to the table before taking his place at Rody’s right. They don’t say grace, they don’t speak to each other, they don’t say thank you, and they don’t let the parents dish up first. The two brothers just dig right in like always, their plates heaping with steak and potatoes. Izuku gulps as he waits silently, trying to disappear into the background. Thankfully, Rody eventually looks over before passing food to the usually vacant seat. All Izuku can manage is a small smile before he focuses on taking as little as possible.
You see, Rody is a good boyfriend, but sometimes he just forgets he has Izuku with him, despite him asking for Izuku to drive the half hour to his house. He never drives to Izuku, but that’s probably because Izuku isn’t in a nice house like this, instead a small college apartment with a roommate.
“So, Izuku, how are classes going?” It was the father who spoke up, his balding head holding more gray than it should for his age.
“Oh, it’s going well! Ah, just worrying about my exams this week.” Izuku is quick to pick up his water bottle and takes long, slow sips so he wouldn’t have to speak more. He internally sighs when Rody’s father doesn’t get the hint and continues to speak.
“That’s good, and work? That one patient still giving you hell?” he says, taking a sip of his beer, his lips pursing.
“No, she’s doing better, I think. Although I have been put on a different team to fill in for others, so I can’t say for sure,” he says with a shrug. “You know how short-staffed hospitals can be. Although I am meant to train someone tomorrow, so that will be interesting.” The father hums before taking a bite of food, seemingly content with ending the conversation.
“Dad, turn up the TV, I can hear myself chewing,” Rody says, not caring to look up from his plate.
Izuku lets his eyes slip shut for a brief moment, short enough not to be noticed, but just long enough to compose himself. He loves Rody, but sometimes he wishes for more.
-
Izuku blinks awake, his eyes squinting at the bright light coming from the computer screen. After dinner had finished, the brothers had split up into their own rooms to play on their computers. The alarm clock read 01:14, and all Izuku could do was sigh and roll away, snagging his phone off the nightstand. He supposes he will read until his boyfriend joins him for bed.
He wraps himself tighter in the blue wolf blanket, listening to the sound of yelling fade away as he plops his earbuds in.
It wasn’t until 02:48 that he felt the bed dip behind him. Green eyes peered over his shoulder, only to have a big kiss smooshed into his lips. “Hi, cutie,” Rody whispers before pausing and looking at the blankets. He frowns and stands up. “Stand up, we need to fix the blankets, they are all crumpled.” Izuku didn’t complain as he stood up, instead getting to work straightening out his blankets while the man lay down, a small giggle the only noise as Izuku flicked the blankets over him.
He laid down a moment later, his back towards his boyfriend. As if on cue, two thin arms circle around him and pull him flush. Izuku, for the first time that night, had a genuine smile on his face as he fell asleep in his lover’s arms.
-
Izuku looked at his watch for the umpteenth time since coming to work, always ten minutes early just in case, but right now, he is nervous. He has to train someone. Now, Izuku has trained many people before, so he isn’t nervous about that, but he is nervous because they still aren’t here. Their shift officially starts in six minutes, so his orient isn’t technically late yet, but Izuku can already feel his schedule being pushed back. His attention is pulled to the door where the charge nurse walks through, her eyes shimmering as they land on Izuku.
“Oh, perfect! Izuku is already here! He is good, so make sure to ask questions if needed. Have fun today! You’ll love all the little babies!” she says, stepping out of the way of his orient.
Izuku gulped as he craned his neck up and up till he met red eyes. The man was tall, and he was very handsome. Izuku shook away his thoughts as he stood up. “Hi, I am Izuku! But uh- Candy just said that, so I guess I didn’t need to say it again. Anyways, welcome to the third flood! This is the pediatric unit.” Spiky blonde hair, flawless skin, bulging muscles- all paired with a glare had Izuku panicking. How was he supposed to do a 12 hour shift with this man following his every move?!
Izuku cleared his throat before smiling and putting on his best training persona. “Anywho, every morning we will meet here for report. You can put your lunch in the fridge and hang your stuff up. No one really uses the lockers, but if you want, you can rent a-”
“Yeah yeah, I got the whole spill yesterday.”
Izuku’s heart rate spiked, and he silently thanked the stars his coworker walked in at that moment. A single glance at his watch tells him he has three minutes to get report and get on the hall, or he will be so behind.
“Hey Izzy! I have team two today!”
The tired nightshift CNA sighed, her brown eyes telling Izuku half of what he needed to know. “Good luck, Gray and Luna are already awake and pulling out their traches.” Izuku winced, but decided to ignore that fun little fact for now.
“Okay, thank you for telling me. Ah, one second, I have an orient.” Izuku glances over his shoulder to the forgotten man before quickly noticing he didn’t have his paper or anything ready. “Um,” he glances at the man’s nametag, “Katsuki, on the wall over there are the papers. Grab one and write out this list. You don’t need the numbers right now, but please put the patient's name down. I’ll explain the rest slowly for you later.” Ignoring the man yet again, Izuku turns to Izzy as she rattles off numbers. “Just another note, Izuku, both Blake and Paula had a seizure, and Alexia hasn’t had any output for 13 hours, the nurse is aware. Good night, I am exhausted.” Izuku watched as she walked out the door, her bag in tow.
He leans against the table for a while longer before he sighs and stands up. “Alright, Katsuki, let's see what you’re made of!”
-
As it turns out, Katsuki is a man of few words, but he knows his shit. He isn’t asking questions; instead, he jumps right in and gets the job done. From plugging a trache back in to cleaning up a blowout. The man never shied away, and honestly, it made Izuku feel better. Normally, if you have an orient your day would go slower because you have to teach and explain what to do, but no, with Katsuki, it genuinely is going faster.
Izuku is playing with one of the babies on the unit when he feels his phone and watch buzz in tandem. Rody? He knows not to call unless it is an emergency.
“Hey, Katsuki, can you take Mo for a second? I really need to take this call.” Red eyes study him, but he doesn’t hesitate to take the one-year-old into his arms, immediately offering up his name tag as a toy for the small wandering hands.
“Rody? What’s up?”
“Hey, I know you’re at work, but can you come to my place after? I saw my ex at the grocery store today, and I don’t feel well.” Izuku’s eye twitched, but he plastered on a smile so he wouldn’t worry his coworkers.
“Yeah, sure thing. I will see you tonight.” The line went dead, and Izuku immediately tossed his phone into one of his many scrub pockets before turning his attention back to Katsuki and Mo. The little baby was deformed and had a trach, but he was such a happy baby.
If Izuku could have favorites, baby Mo would be his by far.
“Mister Mo! Come here,” Izuku said with a giggle as he scooped the baby up, mindful of his feeding tube. “Let’s see, how about we go chart for a while, huh? Show Katsuki how that’s done?” He gently tickles the baby's side, making him snort and wiggle.
This is what he loves. He can deal with it all as long as he can help these little kids.
-
The day had passed surprisingly quickly with the help of Katsuki. As it turned out, he was not a new CNA, and honestly, it explained a lot. He was still newer compared to Izuku, but regardless, it had taken weight off of his shoulders.
Now he was sitting in his idle car staring at a modest house. He has been sitting in Rody’s driveway for two different songs to play through; he was simply letting his music relax him and his sore muscles. His eyes slip shut. He has four exams tomorrow, and he was planning on studying tonight, then just walking to the college campus, but now he has a half-hour drive and no study time. It’s fine, it isn’t Rody’s fault he saw his ex…
Izuku slowly made his way inside, the lights all off, but he knew Rody would be awake. He shucked off his shoes and gently pushed open the bedroom door. Sure enough, there was his boyfriend playing his video game. He quietly set his stuff down and stalked over silently before spooking Rody, a quiet laugh already escaping Izuku as he watched the man jump in his seat. “Izuku! Gha! You scared the crap out of me!”
Izuku grinned widely. “Hey, handsome, you miss me?”
“Tch, of course I did, what kind of question is that!” Izuku watched as gray eyes slowly pulled away to focus back on the screen. “Give me a minute, I’m going to finish this round.”
All he could do was nod as he walked away to change. His scrubs were disgusting, but then again, he is at fault for that; he chooses to hold the babies who slobber and spit up their feed on him. He wouldn’t change it for the world, though. He smiled at the thought of Mo and Katsuki, the baby drooling all over the latter. He briefly wonders if he looks like that when he holds the kiddos, if he looks happy.
He shakes his head and focuses on changing and freshening up. He is there for Rody after all; he had said he needed Izuku after the run-in with his ex.
After getting as clean as he could without a shower, he bounded over to Rody, his arms snaking around narrow shoulders, planting a small kiss on his shoulder, slowly making his way up his neck, trying to coax the man from his game for cuddles.
“Mm, in a little, I’ll be done soon,” was the only response he got, so Izuku sighed and took his usual spot on the bed, curling under that same cheesy wolf blanket, and pulled his phone out. Might as well scroll through social media to pass the time.
His eyes flick to the time. 20:12. Izuku is hungry, but what would he eat here? Whatever, social media will fill his stomach while his boyfriend is distracted.
…….
Izuku’s eyes crack open, the red letters of the alarm clock reading 02:35, the feeling of the bed dip behind him waking him up, but he doesn’t bother turning around. A subtle irritation filled his chest, and he feared he would snap at Rody if he acknowledged the man. He was asked to come to his place because he was upset and wanted to spend time together, and yet he had spoken all of three sentences, the rest of his attention was given to his computer. Seven hours and Izuku was ignored for six and a half of them, and that is being generous.
Regardless of Izuku pretending to still be asleep, he felt spindly arms wrap around his waist and pull him in tight.
Izuku couldn’t find it in himself to smile.
-
Izuku woke up before Rody, but that wasn’t a surprise; he wouldn’t be awake till after Izuku had left and finished with at least one, if not two, of his classes, so he didn’t bother with trying to wake him, instead just kissing his forehead and leaving as quietly as he could.
He can’t be too mad, the drive is a breath of fresh air to be honest, being able to blast music as the wind whips in and around his rolled down windows always brought a smile to his face. A part of him wants to buy a motorcycle just to feel the wind cover every inch of him, but as a healthcare worker, he has seen his fair share of motorcycle accidents, and they are enough to deter him. So, he will stick to both windows rolled down for now.
He rolls up his windows as he pulls into the parking lot, not wasting any time getting out. He looks at his watch to make sure he isn’t late. It reads 07:56, and Izuku’s heart pitters a little faster. His class starts at 08:00, but he typically is here eight to ten minutes early, not four.
He frowns as he grabs his bag and rushes inside the health sciences building. There goes any study time.
-
He yawns as class four wraps up exactly on time, 17:15.
It was a successful day; he passed three of the four exams with zero study time, but to be fair, physics and circuitry is not his strong suit to begin with, so he probably would have failed with or without studying anyway.
“Hey, Izuku! We’re all going to get some food, then go study hop cafes and libraries if you want to come?” It was Brandon, one of the more determined students in class, and a total foodie, so Izuku knew wherever they were going, it was going to be delicious.
“Sure! Where are we going?”
“This amazing Mexican restaurant, trust me when I say it is the bomb,” he says as they both start walking to catch up with the other 9 classmates who are already in the parking lot. “But the plan is to go to the cafe till it closes, then to the library, and end at the tech center and call it a night at around 9 pm! Although Ashley was talking about going to her place to study more for anyone wanting.”
Izuku hummed in thought. “I will probably call it a night after the tech center, I work tomorrow morning.”
“Sweet! Let’s carpool, I can drive.”
Izuku shutters “Thank goodness it isn’t Ashley driving.” The two laugh as they pile into his car, calling to their fellow classmates to see if anyone else wanted to carpool.
It was going to be a good night.
-
Izuku was exhausted, and his mind was numb as he sat there staring down at his workbook. The words had started blurring by the third hour, but he was so close to being finished!
“Ugh, what did you guys get for question 28? I might actually throw up if I have to reread it one more time,” he grumbled from where his head lay on his book.
“You’re on 28?! What the hell, dude, what did you get for 20? I’ve been stuck for the last 10 minutes,” Nick cried out in frustration. Seems he isn’t the only one with a personal vendetta against physics.
“Mmm 20? I think it’s C) alpha particles-“
“Uh, no 20 is A) Gamma rays.” It was Ashley who corrected him, her manicured nails tapping out a melody only known to her. “Don’t you remember the professor said it at the start of class?” she said with a small frown.
Izuku could only stare at her unblinking. “But that doesn’t make sense. Gamma rays are too small for that, so it would have to be alpha particles, no?”
“Ashley is right, the professor did mention it…”
Izuku let his head flop back down, uncaring of the concerned looks from his classmates. “Whatever, my brain needs sleep. I’m going to head out.”
Everyone said their goodbyes as he began the short walk to his car. He should have driven had he known he would have left early. Whatever, it was a short walk since they ended at the school again.
He put his earbuds in and let the night air cool him down. He always manages to get so worked up over studying that his temperature rises to an uncomfortable point. Never enough to make him flush, but enough for it to be irritating.
Especially when he is made to look like the stupid one. He loves his classmates, and he appreciates them all, but they are ruthless when he gets the wrong answers.
At least none of them laughed at him tonight.
Izuku sucked in a greedy breath as his song changed. He just needs to make it to the weekend, then he can rest.
He is fine, nothing a good night's sleep couldn’t fix.