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Common knowledge affirms that the life of a hero is filled with dangers, life-threatening fights, and a couple of life changing incidents. To one Todoroki Shouto, that notion is not completely true. At least, not for today, and it has not been for the last six days in which his hero duty has been reduced from fighting villains to fighting an endless amount of paperwork.
Apparently, the Hero agency he's working for came to a decision and finally took their stand against his “insolent and presumptuous ass” as his boss had said, and deemed it necessary that Shouto learns the value of “Following Orders”.
The punishment, Shouto believes, is not being subjected to desk work for two weeks, but rather having his sanity slip away with each passing second in the void, as he now calls it. Time stops once his butt fuses into a sole entity with the chair he’s close to calling by a name, given how emotionally attached he has become to it by now.
Yet, despite how aggravated he is at the course of events, he wouldn't hesitate to follow his own judgment when the time comes again, if that means he could save more people. Shouto knows he is strong, but he isn't egocentric enough to believe he can do everything on his own. Waiting for reinforcements is a simple order he can - could follow, if it weren't for the fact that people were in imminent danger. The chaos and the property damage left behind after he disregarded that order was something the Agency frowned upon, thus his current predicament.
Lethargy is a weight that grows heavier each day he loses a bit of himself to the void. Despite the lack of physical effort, after a day that lasted too long to start considering he might be on pluto, he’s ready to become one with his bed.
It's Friday afternoon, barely nighttime, and Hero Shouto; bachelor of the year and number three in the Hero Ranking, finds himself in front of his apartment door, drained and grumpy. That is to be expected, since Shouto's social life is as lively as the hope that Endeavor's assholery will someday stop.
Friday night is scheduled for watching sitcom reruns while sipping his tea and cuddling with his not-boyfriend. A routine that would be expected from a sixty-year-old man, not from twenty-three-year-old Shouto, but the truth is; Shouto's actually an old soul wrapped in a six pack, but the media refuse to believe otherwise.
Shouto’s apartment is silent and empty, echoing his half hearted greeting once he goes inside. It’s perfect for his mood to drop past the ground since his roommate slash friends-with-benefits-almost-boyfriend-but-not-really-lover is not there to greet him back. A fact that is both expected and sad, since Shouto is there unexpectedly early for his not-boyfriend to be awake.
The living room is barely dim with the afternoon light, and stepping into his bedroom can only be compared to stepping into satan’s soul, considering there is not even a hint of light no matter how much he narrows his eyes in hopes of distinguishing something.
Even if he can’t see anything, he keeps the lights turned off. The need for light has become a dispensable one. Curtains remain closed during the day, and when night falls, Shouto forgets to draw them back. By then, he has already become used to the dark, so he doesn’t need to turn any light on. It has become a habit walking in the dark, and it almost feels like training if he looks at it that way.
Walking up to his bed and avoiding his furniture is easy, since he remembers where everything is by bodily memory alone, and changing his clothes is a disregarded need when the only thing he wants right now is to drop dead on his bed.
As expected, something cushions his fall when he dives for the mattress. It's warm and soft, but it whines once his body weighs upon it.
"Sorry. I didn’t see you."
A muffled whine is his answer, and Shouto settles himself next to the warm body that's occupying his bed before wrapping his arms around it.
"What time is it?" A slurred voice asks. Shouto feels a tad guilty for waking him up.
"A little after five."
"Of the day?" Shouto hums in agreement. "You're earlier today. Are you still doing desk work? Are you still in the void ?" Shouto hums again as his not-boyfriend wraps his arms around him as well.
"That sucks." A yawn attached to the statement is clearly an indication of how much the other is still on the verge of falling asleep again.
"Go back to sleep. It's not nighttime yet."
"But you're here now."
"And I will be when you wake up again. I also need a nap."
"At five in the afternoon?"
"The void is more draining than you believe, Midoriya."
Shouto waits for a reply, but only silence greets him, so he thinks the bundle in his arms has fallen asleep again. He kisses Izuku's forehead before following him into the land of dreams.
-
Years of training sleeping with one eye open, figuratively speaking, is a feat Shouto finds himself proud of having. It's a remarkably good asset in times of need, and he won't ever, ever, say it out loud, but it is one of the abilities he has thanks to his father's sadistic training.
'A hero can't sleep with their guard lowered, Shouto,' Todoroki Enji had once said, and Shouto was close to calling bullshit since Endeavor's snores made the walls of their house rattle to the point Shouto used to think the ceiling could fall on his head.
That's how the slightest movement in his bed - their bed, a voice inside of him corrects, is enough to wake him up.
As he begins to stir, Izuku stops from leaving the bed but makes no move to lay by his side again.
"S-sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," Izuku says as he drops a kiss on his lips. "Please keep sleeping."
Shouto finds the softness of his bed too enticing to properly wake up, but as Izuku's warmth is leaving the bed and Shouto checks the clock on his nightstand, he becomes a bit sullen since Izuku leaving at that hour could only mean one thing.
"Are you going out?" There is more inflection than needed in his tone, and Izuku must have caught it since he stops from walking out the door of his bedroom.
"Yes...I need...I'm going to the hospital."
‘To see Shinsou,’ He doesn't say, but Shouto catches it.
Jealousy is such a petty emotion Shouto never considered having, but now, after Midoriya Izuku's arrival into his apartment, life, and heart, he can't help but yield under the influence of it.
"I see..."
Clearly, as made evident by the tone he’s using, he really doesn't.
No matter how good of friends Izuku is with Shinsou Hitoshi, or how much Izuku claims their relationship is entirely platonic, Shouto can't conceive why he feels the insistent need to keep Izuku by his side. To stop him from going to his alleged best friend at eleven o’clock at night, even if Shouto knows the reason is a necessity rather than a choice.
The blood bags Shinsou steals for Izuku every two weeks are definitely a necessity, and the reason as to why Shouto doesn’t rat him out to the police department is because Izuku really, really needs it. Also, if his boss were to know his not-boyfriend’s bestie is desecrating hospital goods, that would earn him a couple of more weeks in the void .
Shinsou and Izuku are just friends, he reminds himself. Bonded by the same disgraceful luck fate threw upon them, and finding solace in each other's relatable experience. But, no matter how much effort Shouto puts into suffocating the little voice inside him that screams, 'Don't go,' to Izuku, something must be visible or remotely hinted in his posture for Izuku to realize what his thoughts are, since even in the darkness of his room, Izuku can see it without effort.
"Are you angry?"
"No," he replies a little too fast.
It's evident from his sharp tone that he is. He shouldn't be, but he can't help it. Izuku and he might not be in a relationship, even though they kiss, do some R-rated things once in awhile, and live with each other. It feels a bit empty since there is no sense of finality or a label to put on their ambiguous relationship. That, however, is not from the lack of trying, at least from Shouto's part.
Regardless of everything, Shouto feels entitled to having at least some sense of belonging to each other. And Izuku leaving at ungodly hours of the night to get his bi-weekly intake of blood is not settling well with him. It almost looks like Izuku is having a romantic rendezvous with another man, even if he knows Izuku is incapable of that despite their vague relationship.
"I just need the blood." Izuku is now standing by his - their - bed. Shouto can't see him, but his voice sounds close enough to know that.
"I know." Of course Shouto knows, but that doesn't relieve the heaviness of his heart.
Shouto sits on the edge of his bed before standing up. His eyes are now used to the darkness, so his hand reaches for Izuku's face, touching his lips with his thumb and caressing him with so much love and care that a shudder runs through Izuku's body.
"Why don't you–" Shouto's thumb makes it past Izuku's lips. Izuku gasps softly as he opens his mouth to let his finger enter his wet cave. "–let me..." Shouto pushes his index into one of the pointy and sharp fangs Izuku has. A sting, and then a tiny drop of blood comes out as he feels wetness start to run down his finger.
Izuku hastily tries to push him away, but Shouto doesn't even move an inch. The effects of going on for so long without blood are evident in the way Izuku's arms lack strength and firmness.
"No! What are you doing?! You know I don't–"
"Please," Shouto says as he nuzzles Izuku's temple. His hands coming to frame his face. "I can make it better." And slowly, with deliberate tenderness, he starts to kiss his eyes, his cheeks, his lips, his soul .
"You're so unfair, Todoroki-kun," Izuku lamely whines, but becomes pliant under Shouto's ministrations.
"I'm sorry, it's just –why don't you drink my blood? I don't know how it would taste, but it couldn't be worse than what Shinsou has for you in the hospital."
Cold, stored, tasteless blood. Why would Izuku want to drink that when he could have his?
"We already talked about this, Todoroki-kun. I don’t–"
A kiss seals Izuku's mouth. Shouto knows he's not playing fair, but he could not care less about it.
Life never gave him something he wanted as his until he found Izuku on the verge of dying in one of many missions he had. Tiny, afraid and hungry, with barely a spark of life left in his body. Death could have taken him away before Shouto had a chance to live under the bright light that Midoriya Izuku brings into his life. And It's so ironic, that someone who, despite living in darkness given his lack of endurance against sunlight, could be a source of light such as the sun itself.
"I don't want to…," Izuku whines against his mouth, but makes no movement to step away from his embrace. "What if I like it too much? Besides, you're always tired because of your job as a Hero, and–" Shouto kisses him again. Izuku is now ranting, but it’s obvious there is hesitance in his mind. Shouto pushes a bit more. It's a game he has been playing with Izuku; an endless argument of refused pleads given the latter's reluctance to accept him altogether by his own self-depreciation for what he is.
"That's the idea. Besides, you won't be drinking a lot. You told me you don't need it every day. I can manage two times per week."
They live in a world in which Quirks are the norm. Any person that lacks a quirk is considered hopeless, and Midoriya Izuku had the bad luck, a rare one in a million chance, of being born with another condition that is frowned upon even more than being quirkless.
Izuku feels worthless, because he may have a quirk, deep down in his core where it’s latent and dormant, but it’s useless having it since he needs blood in order to use it. That's the reason why Izuku's kind are often called Quirksuckers, a demeaning name Shouto hates, but calling him a Vampire - if you feel the need to bring folklore into the conversation - is equally as infuriating. Contrary to popular belief, Izuku doesn't need blood to survive. Sadly, the opposite opinion has become too etched into people's mind for them to think differently.
Izuku gets nourishment from normal food. He just needs blood to get endurance against the sun and not be constantly tired because of the lack of it. Just like vitamins, really. Shouto is bitter as to why people can't understand a simple concept such as that. And that's where his and Izuku's problem lies, since the latter deems himself unworthy of being with him. A notion that is ludicrous and frustrating but is so difficult to appease, regardless of Shouto's constant reassurance that he doesn't care.
"Don't you want to come with me to the movies as you wanted?"
"The function was daytime."
"I know."
"Are you literally asking me to drink your blood just for me to go to the movies with you?"
"I'm asking you to drink my blood because even if I love coming home and finding you, sometimes I want to take you out. Our sleeping schedules don't match, and we can barely spend time together."
Shouto would like to keep Izuku company at night, but working as a Hero leaves him drained and tired most of the time. So Izuku usually spends the night lounging around the apartment, or with Shinsou at the hospital. It's aggravating and unbearably frustrating how much time they lose without each other's company, even when they're living under the same roof.
Even the fact that they have become more than friends, almost boyfriends but still not quite lovers, has been slow. A transition that lasted too long for Shouto's liking, but couldn't be helped, given their waking moments overlapped for so little time.
Izuku's low tolerance against the sunlight is a consequence of his refusal to take enough blood to overcome the fatigue daytime brings. That's why he prefers to sleep during the day and wait until the night to wake up instead. Dinner for Shouto, and breakfast for Izuku is the only moment in which they can eat with each other. A sad but understandable outcome that Shouto wants to change.
"I also want to spend more time with you," Izuku says. He's talking with his lips mouthing his words against his own, just the way Shouto loves.
"We could go to the ice cream parlor you saw on T.V, or we could go to the movies, or..."
Shouto smiles against Izuku's mouth. It's soft, tender and loving.
"Or...?"
"Just be with me under the sun."
Shouto wants to take Izuku's hand and feel the warmth of the sunlight mirroring the one in his heart. He wants to walk with Izuku, side by side, enjoying and devoting every waking moment to each other.
"A-are you asking me...-Is this your way of asking me to date you?"
This might not be the first time Shouto has asked such thing, but there is a sense of foreboding in his heart that makes this time different than the others.
"Yes." Shouto's tone is steady. Nothing like the awkward, developing voice that belongs to a twelve-year-old kid that is screaming inside his head.
"I'm...I'm a Quirksucker–"
"Don't call yourself that," Shouto scolds.
"–I can't...-You couldn't possibly want to be with me! What about your career as a Hero? People are going to look down on you and they will bad mouth you. Your popularity! –your father! Oh, God, your father!"
"You know I don't care about all that. Least of all my father."
"I know, that's why I do! Someone has to! I don't want you to make things harder on yourself! "
"That won't happen," Shouto says with impatience. The total opposite is what resulted from Izuku's arrival in his life. Any trace of hollowness, apathy, and frustration faded away little by little at Izuku's mere presence. The change in his demeanor is so evident that even his coworkers suspect he's with someone, or at least, believe that there is someone romantically involved with him.
Shouto has never been someone who parades his achievements and his private life, but somehow, presenting Izuku as his lover is something he aches for. Conveying how much he wants - needs Izuku to acknowledge his feelings regarding their current relationship is a must.
"But–"
"You could even work as a sidekick if you wanted."
Apparently, that is the wrong thing to say, but Shouto is a bit frustrated and he's taking out all the ammunition he could use against Izuku's obstinacy.
"I don't want to if it comes with the price of your blood."
I don't want to if I can't make it on my own. He says it loud and clear, even if those weren't the words he used.
"Didn't you tell me my quirk is mine alone?" Shouto continues dropping kisses on Izuku's face. Trying to melt down the iron wall of refusals that keep coming from Izuku's unrelenting mouth.
"That's different, and you know it."
"It's not," Shouto hugs Izuku, harder, to the point where it could leave Izuku without a single breath inside his lungs. "Why don't you want to? Your quirk is yours, I'll just give you a little push, so please stop being so stubborn."
Discovering that Izuku has a great sense of pride regarding his quirk was something he never expected since the boy in his arms, with stars in his eyes and a smile that could put shame to the sun itself, is nothing but a humble and loving soul. That, however, changes when it comes to his quirk. Izuku's quirk is fairly regular and common. A strength enhancing quirk might not be as flamboyant as Shouto's own, but it belongs to Izuku, even if he needs someone else's help in order to use it.
Shouto can relate, though. He’s experienced what it is to be at the mercy of another person's power for you to reach your goals. It’s downright annoying and frustrating; depending on someone else when you want to prove that you're worthy enough on your own.
Shouto knows that Izuku's dream of becoming a hero is spoiled by what he is, and the last thing he wants is to portray himself as someone who looks down on his dream and his hopes. But, he can't stop from offering himself. He's doing it out of love and care, so why can't Izuku understand that?
"Midoriya..." This time, Shouto's kiss is denied as Izuku avoids his face.
"I really want to be with you." Shouto's heart skips a beat as Izuku's hands caress his face. "I'm...-I like you, so, so much, but...I'm a quirks-"
Again with the same excuse. Shouto hates it, so he kisses him again.
"That holds no importance to me. I love you.” Izuku tenses in his arms. A gasp reaches his ears. “You love me, I know you do. So why are you so against this when it’s obvious we both want it?"
They're still surrounded by darkness. Not a single ray of light comes inside his room, but he is definitely sure Izuku has tears in his eyes.
"I'm scared of making it harder for you, of hurting you.”
"You won't."
Shouto knows he won't. The evidence lies in the loving kisses, the shining eyes that look his way, and the body that seeks his whenever it’s possible.
Midoriya Izuku could never hurt him or bring pain into his life in any way or form.
"How can you know? I've never done this. You would be my first." Todoroki says nothing. He doesn’t know if Izuku is talking about drinking his blood or being in a relationship. Either way, the silence that falls on the room weighs with such intensity and emotion that it’s almost tangible. Izuku's eyes must have caught his expression, and Shouto becomes a bit embarrassed he is not schooling his features into one that doesn't show the ego he feels right now. "Oh, you're excited because of that!"
"No."
"You are! Oh god!" Izuku hides his face in his hands, but he's still in Shouto's arms. Shouto smiles softly and takes Izuku’s hands away from his face as he dives in again to kiss him. This time, he feels Izuku reciprocate.
"Is that a yes?"
Shouto might be pushing his luck, but after dancing around each other so much and tip-toeing their relationship, he considers this is the last straw he can take before his heart explodes with everything he feels for Midoriya Izuku.
There are no words of affirmation waiting for him except the way Izuku kisses him. Slowly and filling him with love, making him feel as though he has finally won.
"About time," Shouto says with so much emotion, he thinks his left side will burst into flames like he’s regressing back to being a fifteen-year-old.
“About time,” Izuku echoes.
Shouto agrees; their progress has been too slow given their sleep schedules barely overlapping with each other's, but he also wants to complain; they could have done this sooner if Izuku had stopped being so stubborn.
Shouto swallows his complaints and instead, he laughs softly against Izuku's mouth and kisses him again and again.
It tastes like victory.
"Okay, then..." Shouto takes a step back. He's not sure of the procedure they have to follow, but he knows enough to tilt his head and gesture towards the strong column of his neck as an offering.
"Are you trying to seduce me?" Izuku's voice sounds amused, as if he wasn't expecting his display to be so earnest.
"No," Shouto says, but he makes no move to stop offering his neck. "But if I was...would this be working?"
A shudder runs through Shouto’s body as Izuku’s lips fall upon the crook of his neck. Shouto doesn't want Izuku to listen to his thundering heartbeat, but he knows the other is already well aware of it. Enhanced senses are some of the perks that come with being a vampire, and most of the time those prove to be useful, but now, Shouto thinks they're revealing too much of him.
"You don't even need to try..." Izuku's breath is hot and humid against his neck. The hairs on the nape of his neck rise, and his belly starts to grow warm.
Shouto is ready for Izuku's sharp teeth to pierce his flesh. He's not afraid of the pain, but when a kiss and a mouth sucking his skin is what he feels instead, he becomes disappointed.
"Midoriya," he says as if he's chastising him.
"Sorry, but I won't be biting you on the neck. I'm still afraid that something could go wrong. First time, remember?"
Shouto is lead by Izuku to sit on his bed. By the sound of it, and by the feeling of Izuku's hands lying on each of his thighs, Shouto understands that the other is kneeling in the gap between them. Shouto pleads for the Shouto that's between his legs not to misunderstand that action and think it's time to play. He wouldn't be so against it, but it would ruin the mood and spoil all the effort he has put in to come up until this point.
"Can we turn on the lights?" Shouto asks. Darkness has become his friend ever since Izuku came into his life, but right now he considers it unnecessary since he lacks Izuku's enhanced senses, and he wants - needs to see Izuku's face when it happens.
"The one on the nightstand?"
Shouto nods, knowing Izuku will see his gesture. One of the hands Izuku has on his thigh is gone, and a moment later a dim light traces Izuku's features.
Izuku's big, round eyes are looking at him, shining with expectation and love. Shouto feels his mouth becoming dry as the other boy takes his left hand and, unconsciously or not, licks his lips. Izuku’s emerald eyes trace the stream of blood that flows under the skin of his wrist.
Shouto gulps down a knot when his skin explodes with goosebumps as Izuku's thumb draws shapeless motions on his skin. His heart is thundering so strong in his ribcage. He doesn't know if it's expectation, impatience, or downright joy.
It's finally going to happen.
Izuku looks at him again, as if Shouto had just said that thought out loud, or as if Izuku read his mind.
"Are you–?" Shouto kisses him. Hesitation is unwanted, and he needs to make it plenty obvious to Izuku that those doubts will drown under the insistent pressure of his kisses if they keep coming.
"Yes."
"Okay," Izuku says with uncertainty dipping his voice. "Okay, I'm going to do it."
Seconds go by, but Izuku is still unmoving.
"Don't you have to–?"
"Y-yes...! A moment! Just give me a moment, please."
"Take your time," Shouto calmly says. His eyes roam his bedroom. The clock reads almost midnight, and Shouto thinks that it's a good thing the next day is Saturday. They could go to the park and have a nice date. Although, Izuku might be sleepy. He would need to fix his sleep schedule. Todoroki wonders if it would be the same as jet lag, maybe if–
"How are you so composed?" Izuku asks when he notices his relaxed demeanor. "You're about to be bitten. I'm going to suck your blood. You might feel sick. Oh, god! What if you faint? No, maybe we could–"
Another kiss shuts Izuku up.
"I already told you. I trust you." Izuku grimaces a little before he sighs as if to admit defeat under Shouto's unwavering determination.
"Then at least promise me you will knock me out if I can't stop. I don't know if I will go crazy or something. The movies always portray it like that, besides I've never had fresh blood before so–"
As Izuku keeps rambling, Shouto frowns, since Izuku's request is not something he expected.
Knocking Izuku out? As in, inflicting pain to Izuku?
"Todoroki-kun," Izuku whines. He tries to go back to his feet when he notices his reluctance to accept his condition, but Shouto's hands on his shoulders, pushing him back to kneeling position, don't let him.
"Okay," Shouto begrudgingly agrees, and Izuku appears to be wary of the lack of steadiness in his tone, but goes to take back his left hand, knowing that Shouto’s reply is the best he would get as a confirmation.
"If it hurts, tell me." Shouto nods. "And if you feel like if you're about to faint, bump my head or something. I don’t know, just please say something. If there is anyth–"
"Midoriya." Izuku halts and looks at Shouto’s mismatched eyes with shame. He knows that Shouto knows what he is doing.
"Stop stalling," Shouto chastises him as one last kiss falls upon Izuku's lips.
Izuku’s posture becomes tense when he grasps a sense of finality in Shouto’s command. The latter notices that, regardless of Izuku’s uncertainty, there is appetite shining in his eyes as he takes his wrist. He seems entranced by the crimson flow that runs inside Shouto’s veins. A nuzzle and a tender kiss are placed on it as if he’s asking permission, even though Shouto has already opened every possible door he has for him to trespass.
Shouto wants to press him on to hurry up, but he waits patiently. A few seconds are nothing compared with what he already waited.
Sharp, white canines are seen from under Izuku's lips as he opens his mouth. For a fleeting moment, the green universe contained in Izuku’s eyes meets his own mismatched ones, and then, there is pain when his skin is pierced by his fangs. Shouto swallows the grunt of pain, since he doesn't want Izuku to stop. It hurts. It’s bearable, but stings like two needles would if they were to sink into his flesh.
Shouto feels the blood starting to come out from the holes where Izuku's fangs broke his skin. Warm and wet, it’s streaming down his arm, but Izuku makes sure to lick it up before it falls to the ground. Mismatched eyes can't focus on anything but the sight before him. Izuku's eyelids are lowered, and they're fluttering the same way they do when Shouto is inside him, pounding him into oblivion. That thought, along with the pain, makes him become aroused.
It's weird, but somehow it’s not that surprising that Todoroki Shouto displays signs of being a masochist when Midoriya Izuku is involved.
Shouto wants to touch him, to run his fingers through that soft, curly hair and trace every inch of his face with his thumb. And it requires all the strength he can muster to restrain himself from doing it since Izuku needs sufficient blood to go for a while. Shouto knows touching him now will distract him, and it could take him away from the current state of concentration in which he finds himself. Shouto doesn’t want to risk Izuku stopping.
Shouto is not aware of it until he listens to his own labored breaths. He's starting to feel lightheaded, and while he would gladly give as much his blood as Izuku wants and needs, he also knows Izuku will blame himself and refuse to try this again if Shouto were to faint. So, he reaches for Izuku's face. A hand caresses his cheek trying to break the reverie in which the other is immersed.
"Midoriya," Shouto calls. Izuku seems too lost into feeding though, and Shouto feels slightly guilty knowing he's about to deny him any more blood. "I think this is enough."
Izuku’s boyish face is marred by a frown. He’s conscious enough to hear him, but he doesn't stop. Green eyes are still veiled by his fluttering eyelids, and Shouto becomes aware Izuku is fighting his instinct to keep feeding. Looking at Izuku's inner struggle makes a pang go right through his chest, just where his heart is.
"It’s okay," Shouto says as he nuzzles Izuku's temple and drops a kiss there. "You will have more in the future," he promises as Izuku finally - reluctantly - detaches himself from his wrist.
The pouty lips Shouto has kissed so many times are shaded with a pretty red. Shouto’s red, the same red as his hair, and the same red that keeps him alive, he thinks.
Shouto disregards the sting on his wrist and smiles softly, looking at Izuku. He seems like a cat that has finished eating and is now licking the remaining vestiges of food from his lips.
"Was it good?"
Izuku absently nods. It's as if he's in a haze, motioning his body by instinct as he licks the wounds he inflicted upon Shouto's skin to make the bleeding stop.
"You taste so good, Todoroki-kun," Izuku says, before lifting his face and making Shouto forget how to bring air into his lungs, for he becomes entranced by the two emerald seas glowing inside Izuku's eyes.
"Beautiful," he whispers. Izuku seems to be confused by the random statement and cocks his head, frowning. A tired but otherwise warm smile is Izuku's answer before Shouto pulls him towards him to meet his lips. "Your eyes are so beautiful."
"My eyes?"
The effects of having his blood drank by Izuku are starting to kick in. Shouto's back falls into the mattress, arms spreading wide on the bed as Izuku straddles his hips.
"They're glowing." With great effort, he brings his thumb up to trace the outline of Izuku's eyes.
"Really?"
Shouto nods before dropping his hand. It's a bit exhausting having his arm extended towards Izuku when right now, fatigue is clutching onto his body. Izuku's mouth becomes a thin line, and he seems about to address his current state, but he refrains from doing so at the last second. Rather than worried words, a kiss is what Shouto is rewarded with instead.
"Oh." Shouto’s mouth becomes the shape of a perfect ‘o’ as he feels it . Izuku avoids his eyes because it’s evident how much the feeding session not only filled his stomach but also the arousal between his legs.
"I'm sorry. I–I really am."
"It's fine. I was hard not too long ago too. I think the lack of blood going into that area made me lose it, though." It could be because of the blood Izuku has drunk, or the embarrassment he feels by his statement. Whatever the reason is, those freckled cheeks become colored by a healthy and pretty hue of red Shouto wants to kiss. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can right now..."
"N-no! I'm sorry. You just– I was–" Izuku wails as he takes his face in his hands. "I can't believe I did it, and you are so tired right now, and I’m so perver–"
"Midoriya." This time, Shouto can't reach Izuku to kiss him and shut him up. "Kiss me," he commands, and Izuku obliges despite his concern.
"Can we cuddle?"
Izuku's raging boner demands attention, and he knows Izuku's thought at the back of his mind is to go to the bathroom and indulge his needs, but Shouto is not ready to let him go yet. Fortunately, a pensive but affirmative hum is the answer Shouto is replied with before Izuku stops straddling him in favor of laying next to him.
"Are you okay?" Izuku asks, caressing his cheek. Shouto's eyelids fall as he gets lost in the loving gesture.
“I am.” Shouto is more than okay; he's elated. A part of him is inside Izuku, and it's so satisfying having that knowledge even if it holds no sexual allusion. It almost feels like he has finally reached a deeper connection with him. Shouto already has Izuku's body, heart and now this. This; which he still doesn't know what to call, but it will make their bond stronger. “What about you?”
"I'm...I feel...like I can do anything."
"Good, because I feel like that whenever I'm with you."
"You’re so embarrassing, Todoroki-kun." Izuku’s giggles become muffled as he presses his face into his chest. Shouto feels the vibration of his joy echoing in his ribcage. It’s almost lulling him, but there is something he needs to settle first before losing himself to sleep.
"Are we boyfriends now? Lovers?" Izuku’s soft laughs are subdued by his question, but his smile still remains.
"Well, yes, I think so... “
Glowing eyes glance at him, and Shouto wants to keep looking at them, but it’s so hard staying awake when Morpheus is insistently calling him into his arms.
"I thought lovers were on a first name basis."
"You're impossible.” A pause, and then, “Shouto."
His name falling from Izuku's lips would have made his arousal enough to overcome his sleepiness, if it weren't for the lack of blood. Regret is the least of what Shouto feels after feeding Izuku by his own hand - literally, but there is a faraway sense of disappointment at not being able to satisfy another kind of hunger Izuku has right now. Shouto supposes they will have time later, when he's not on the verge of passing out from sleep and they could scream each other's name without a care in the world.
"I'm sorry, I think I'm going to sleep." Shouto's voice sounds tired and slurred. He tries to hug Izuku, but his arms feels like jelly. Izuku giggles again before he wraps his arms around him instead. "Don't go anywhere, please."
"I won't."
Shouto’s consciousness is falling into dreamland, but he smiles when he hears and feels Izuku's words against his lips one more time before he's taken away by slumber.
"Goodnight, Shouto."
"Goodnight, Izuku."