Quaran-teens - Chapter 3

[Chapter 2] 

Day Seven

When Izuku's phone rang, he fumbled at his pocket with a complete lack of coordination, startled by the sudden noise. The screen showed a camera icon and a familiar name, sending Izuku's eyebrows sky high, but he hit accept all the same.

“Good morning, Aizawa-sensei!” he said brightly, waving at the face on his screen. “How are you?”

“I'm good, thank you. And yourself?”

“I'm doing well too! Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine, I'm just giving everyone a call to check in and make sure you're doing okay. Our circumstances are strange, to say the least, and the school wants to offer any help you may need.”

“Oh! Thank you! But yeah, everything is good! My Mom has cleaned the entire apartment twice already just to keep moving so that's been... interesting. And Kacchan has been cooking and baking a bunch which has been pretty awesome. I think it helps him with the anxiety, you know? Takes his mind off things. But the food is really good so it's not like I'm gonna complain either way!”

“Things are okay with you two?” Aizawa pressed, surprisingly genuine. “You're not blowing up your apartment out of boredom yet?”

“Things are good,” Izuku laughed. “We've been taking the locked-in frustration out on video games. And I've been reading books! It feels like forever since I got to read a book for fun!”

“Good, make the most of it. We're going to start sending out classwork as of Monday, and we'll do some group or class calls like this as well, so be prepared for that. I understand that most of you will be having some trouble focussing and such, so I'll be keeping the workload fairly light for now, and if you have any problems you can always talk to me – whether it's with schoolwork or the isolation or your mental health or anything else.”

“Thank you Sensei, it's nice to know you care!”

“Don't push your luck, Midoriya. And you and Bakugou are getting along decently? You mentioned the baking and the gaming, but not... The talking, I suppose.”

“Yeah, it's been really good, actually! It's nice having him for company. My Mom is great and all, but it's nice to have Kacchan here to hang out with.”

“Glad to hear it. Is he around? I tried to call but he didn't pick up.”

“Oh, sorry! He's in the shower, should I ask him to call you back?”

“No need, I have a few others to call too, so I'll just circle back around to him a bit later.”

“I'll let him know to watch out for it!”

“Thank you. Alright, take care of yourself. I'll be in touch in a few days with your classwork. Don't do anything stupid.”

“You take care as well!”

“Of course.”

When he hung up, Izuku had a surprisingly wide smile on his face. He'd kind of expected the worst, seeing Aizawa's name on his phone, but it was nice to know that he actually cared about his students enough to check in. Not to mention he seemed well-rested for once, much more patient and forthcoming than Izuku was used to. Maybe the quarantine would be a good break for them – silver linings and all, right?

Still smiling, he set his phone back down and reached for his book – he was only three chapters in but he was already struggling to put it down, too desperate to see what would happen next.

He wondered if Katsuki would like to read it, after.

When Katsuki's phone began buzzing, it seemed to repel Izuku like an insane magnet – the nerd was out of the room before Katsuki could even pick it up to look. He'd have to remember that trick for later, when he got tired of the idiot.

Admittedly he hadn't been that bad, so far, but he was sure the knowledge would come in handy sooner or later. He'd just file it away for a rainy day.

He raised an eyebrow when he saw the name waiting for him, swiping the green bar and resting his arm on his knees to hold the phone away from his face.

“Has the nerd been talking sh- smack or something?”

“Nothing like that,” Aizawa chuckled. “He didn't warn you, then?”

“Warn me about what?”

“I'm calling everyone to check in, I spoke to him earlier this evening. How are you feeling?”

Katsuki screwed up his face, and a hint of a smile tugged at Aizawa's lips.

“You two haven't killed each other yet, that's good to see.”

“He's alright,” Katsuki grumbled, ignoring the way Aizawa's eyes widened a little, pretending he didn't feel his cheeks flushing pink. “He knows me, I don't have to pretend shit.”

“That's true, it must be nice to have a friend you've known for so long.”

“I guess.”

“How about your parents? Have you talked to them?”

“Dad texts me every night,” he nodded, slumping in his seat. “The hag sends me a thousand a day, I reply to some of them.”

“They must be missing you.”

“Not like they see me during school terms anyway.”

“Doesn't it feel different, though? I don't see my family much either, but knowing I can't see them, when the world is going through something so big, it makes me uncomfortable.”

“I guess,” Katsuki said again, a little quieter this time. “I'm just here trying to keep these idiots safe, I swear they don't even know how to wash their damn hands without being reminded.”

“I'm sure they're glad they have you.”

“Yeah,” Katsuki huffed. “I guess you're right, it's kinda weird.”

“Not seeing your parents?”

“Not the seeing. I guess... 'Cause they're stuck, you know? They're not home either.”

“Maybe you should video call them, sometime. Like this. They'd probably like to see your face.”

“The hag been nagging you or something?” Katsuki snorted. “They wouldn't know how to answer the damn call anyway.”

“You're a smart young man, Bakugou, I'm sure you could figure something out.”

“I guess.”

He felt himself zoning out as Aizawa began to talk about classwork, eyes drifting to the sliding glass door that led to the Midoriyas' balcony, the town beyond that was so strangely quiet.

“If you feel like it's too much, at any point, please let me know. I know it's hard to admit to that sort of thing, but you know I'm here to help.”

It wasn't the first time Katsuki had heard the words. Ever since his house arrest in first year, the first night Katsuki had gone into full-blown panic attack, Aizawa had made sure to drop the hints and words here and there – talk to me, I'm listening, no judgement, all the cheesy cliches.

“Yeah,” Katsuki nodded finally. “I'll let you know.”

Izuku had been tossing and turning for hours, rolling from side to side on his thin, narrow futon, trying to quietly beat his pillow into submission, duvet rustling as he readjusted. Katsuki had warned him, had known it wouldn't be comfortable, but no, the nerd had to be too damn stubborn about hospitality or some shit.

“Oi, nerd,” Katsuki growled, levering himself up onto an elbow. “Switch beds with me.”

“W-What? No, I'm fine!”

“Your bed hurts my back, let me use the floor.”

“I know that's a lie, Kacchan,” Izuku huffed. “Stop trying to be all noble or something! I'm fine!”

“You're not fine, idiot. I've been in the same room as you practically twenty-four hours a day for the past week and you think I don't see it? Get your ass up here.”

“I'm not gonna make you sleep on the floor!”

“Then get in here with me you stupid, stubborn piece of shit. Not like I care.”

“W-What? Sh-Share a bed? With K-Kacchan?”

“I'm not gonna say it again, nerd. Ain't like we've never done it before.”

A small part of Izuku felt the need to point out that they had been toddlers the last time it happened, but instead he just climbed to his feet with trembling legs, clutching his pillow in his arms as he tentatively approached the bed. He half-expected Katsuki to yell at him for agreeing, to say it had all been sarcasm, but instead Katsuki dragged himself up to sit against the headboard, waving Izuku toward the wall-side of the mattress.

“Climb over,” he demanded. “Not gonna crawl across your ass to get up in the morning while you sleep until noon.”

Izuku nodded, swallowing hard, and gingerly crawled across to the other side, avoiding Katsuki's feet. He set his pillow down, surprised when Katsuki moved his own one across to make room, and then he was watching his childhood-friend turned teenage-rival, with his thick biceps poking out from a soft tank top, as he slid down into the blankets and snuggled in, his arm wound around his pillow in a little hug.

He was surprisingly cute, Izuku couldn't help but notice.

The last time they'd shared a bed, Katsuki had been all soft cheeks and baby fat. A skinny kid, for sure, but still with that softness that all toddlers shared. Now he was lean, taut muscle, a defined jaw where he'd once been round, a slim waist beneath a broad chest rather than all straight lines. He'd grown up so much, changed so much, and yet when he nuzzled into his pillow sleepily, he hadn't changed at all.

“Thanks, Kacchan,” he whispered, as he slid down into his own little slice of mattress. “Goodnight.”

“Night,” Katsuki grumbled. “Don't squirm too much, nerd.”

“I'll try my best!”