Chapter Text
It had been a hellish week. Katsuki Bakugou now in his 3rd year at UA had barely caught a break, and it seemed like every time he blinked, the workload at his internship with Mirko doubled. He was exhausted in a way that he couldn't describe, but he wasn’t going to show it.
When he finally returned to the dorms that evening, dragging his feet through the common room, the weight of the day felt like a mountain. His usual cocky energy was drained, and there was no fire left in his eyes. He just wanted to collapse. His body felt like lead, his limbs stiff from all the brutal training and the battle he’d just gone through with Mirko..
"Hey, Kats, you back?" Eijiro Kirishima's voice was warm, as usual, full of that comforting energy Katsuki didn’t realize he was craving. But right now, the last thing he wanted was to talk.
Katsuki just grunted, giving Eijiro the barest acknowledgment as he walked past, his footsteps dragging with exhaustion. His eyes barely focused on anything as he entered the living area. He collapsed onto the first object he saw, with a heavy sigh, he sunk into the ugly yellow couch. There was no fire left in him, he just needed to rest, even if he wouldn't admit it out loud.
Eijiro watched his friend carefully. "Hey, man, you okay? You look like you got hit by a truck."
"I'm fine," Katsuki muttered, but there was no conviction in his voice. He didn’t even look up at Eijiro as he sank further into the cushions, his head spinning from the overwhelming exhaustion.
Eijiro stood there for a moment, considering what to do. He’d seen Katsuki push himself to the limit before, but this was different. He seemed genuinely worn out, his usual fiery spirit replaced with a quiet, exhausted stillness.
"You sure you don’t want to watch a movie in my dorm or something? You look like you could use some downtime," Eijiro suggested with a friendly grin. He wasn’t sure if Katsuki would even agree, but he figured it was worth a shot. A little distraction might help him.
Katsuki let out a tired sigh, his shoulders slumping even more. He wanted to snap at Eijiro for suggesting something other than sleep, but instead, his body just refused to move. "Fine," he muttered, the word more a resigned acceptance than anything else. He isn't weak, he can watch a stupid movie.
Eijiro's grin widened, pleased that he had agreed as he helped Katsuki off the couch and got into the elevator.
The two of them settled on Eijiro’s bed in his dorm, the movie starting up on the laptop in front of them. But Katsuki was barely paying attention to it. His eyes kept fluttering shut as the movie plated, and soon enough, his body slumped against Eijiro’s side.
Eijiro froze when he felt the weight of Katsuki leaning against him. He wasn’t sure if it was from sheer exhaustion or just the quiet comfort of being in a place where he didn’t have to act like he was invincible. But there Katsuki was, resting his head on Eijiro’s shoulder without so much as a word, dead asleep.
At first, Eijiro was stunned. Katsuki rarely let anyone get that close without a fight. But in this moment, there was nothing more natural than this, the quiet, comfortable silence as the movie played on, completely forgotten.
Eijiro chuckled softly to himself. He didn’t want to disturb the peaceful moment, but there was no way he was letting this pass without capturing it. He quietly pulled out his phone, carefully snapping a photo of Katsuki, whose face was relaxed in sleep, his usual scowl replaced by a soft, unguarded expression, his eyebrows relaxed.
He couldn’t resist, with a grin, Eijiro opened the Bakusquad group chat and sent the photo to them.
Sharkboy IRL:
"Guys, look who decided to take a nap. This is too cute to pass up!"
(Attached: Photo of Katsuki asleep, relaxed on Eijiro’s shoulder)
The responses came in like a flood.
Alien Queen:
"OH MY GOD, IS THIS REAL?! THIS CANNOT BE REAL. BAKUGOU? HES SO PEACEFUL??? NO WAY."
Pikachu Reject:
"WHAT?? IS THIS THE FIRST SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE?"
El Tapestro:
"I’m literally speechless. Is this some kind of prank, or is this for real?? Bakugou asleep on your shoulder??? WHAT???"
Alien Queen:
"It’s TOO cute to be fake, though! I NEED MORE PICTURES."
Pikachu Reject:
"LITERALLY WHY IS HE SO CUTE LIKE THAT. KATSUKI BAKUGOU, OUR BLASTY, THE BEAST OF 3A, IS ACTUALLY ASLEEP AND CUDDLING WITH EIJIRO?? THIS IS A DREAM."
Alien Queen:
"Eijiro, you’ve made history. Please, tell me this is going in the Hall of Fame. He is so handsome when hes not yelling or scowling!"
Sharkboy IRL:
"Yup, it’s real. He just collapsed from exhaustion mid movie, didn’t even fight it. I had to snap a pic."
Katsuki slowly came to, blinking rapidly to clear the sleep from his eyes. His vision was fuzzy, and as his head cleared, he realized he was still resting on Eijiro’s shoulder. His heart skipped a beat as his mind processed the scene around him. The movie was still playing in the background.
He shot up immediately, rubbing his face with a grumble. “Tch, what the hell are you laughing at, shitty hair?” He glared at Eijiro, but his voice was hoarse and weak from the sleep that had overtaken him. He didn’t have the energy to put much force behind his usual angry tone.
Eijiro smiled, clearly enjoying the situation. “It’s nothing, Kat. Just a little pic of you being cute. Nothing to worry about.”
Katsuki froze, his eyes darting to Eijiro’s phone. His expression soured as he saw the photo of him asleep and vulnerable, cuddling with Eijiro. His face burned red.
“You... took a picture?!” Katsuki growled.
“Yup,” Eijiro replied with a grin, popping the “p”.
Katsuki’s scowl deepened. “YOU’RE DEAD, EIJIRO.”
Eijiro chuckled. “It’s just a picture to our friends, Katsuki.”
Katsuki’s scowl only deepened as he scrolled through the group chat, watching the flood of messages.
Blasty McAngry:
"YOU’RE DEAD, EIJIRO."
Eijiro laughed harder, not even slightly concerned. “Honestly, you’re just too cute when you sleep.”
Katsuki blushed again, his frustration slowly melted as he sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes again. The exhaustion was creeping back in, he huffed, and let his head fall back onto Eijiro’s shoulder. The warmth and comfort felt too good to push away and everyone already knew about it, might as well make the embarrassment worth it.
“Damn it,” he muttered, voice tired. “I’m not gonna let you get away with this, but... I’m too tired to fight.”
Eijiro smiled, wrapping his arm around Katsuki’s shoulders. “It’s okay. You deserve a break Kat.”
Katsuki didn’t respond, too tired to argue. The movie was long forgotten as he let the peace of the moment wash over him. Eijiro didn’t push him off, didn’t say anything else. He just stayed there, content in the silence, with his best friend resting on him.
Back in the group chat, the messages continued to flood in.
Pikachu Reject:
"GUYS, THEY’RE BOTH SO CUTE. I CAN’T EVEN."
Alien Queen:
"Blasty’s so fluffy when he’s asleep."
El Tapestro:
"This is the highlight of my entire week. I didn’t know he could look so relaxed. Maybe we should make him nap more."
Katsuki could faintly hear the notifications buzzing, but he didn’t care. For once, the weight of the world didn’t matter. He was just with Eijiro, and that was enough.
Eventually, Katsuki drifted back to sleep, the sound fading into the background as he allowed himself to rest..
Later that night, after the group chat had settled down, Eijiro sent one last message.
Sharkboy IRL:
"Kat is asleep again. He might kill me later for the picture, but it was worth it. Thanks, guys."
With a sigh of contentment, Eijiro relaxed, leaning back into the bed, the weight of Katsuki’s head still resting on his shoulder. Everything felt just right.