Imaginary Friends

3.

[unrelated side oneshot]

Shouto finds Izuku curled up on the couch in the common room. He sits next to his boyfriend's feet, opposite where his head is propped up on the armrest. Izuku's eyes crack open just a bit, enough to notice Shouto there, which prompts him to get up and turn around. He wiggles his way into a sitting position and then back down, but this time he has his head in Shouto's lap.
"Everything alright?" He asks as he gently cards his fingers through Izuku's hair.
Izuku's voice come out quieter than usual with an upwards lilt.
"Yeah. I'm just tired."
Oh, it's Deku fronting, not Izuku. Shouto suddenly feels a bit awkward, being so softly intimate with someone who's not his boyfriend, but he squashes it down, thinking thag both Deku and Izuku likely don't mind being Deku being comforted like this.
Either way, Shouto doesn't believe Deku's response.
"Want to tell me what's really going on?" Shouto suggests. He's not going to force Deku to talk to him if he doesn't want, but he does want to give him a choice, at least.
Deku blows out an exhale that tickles Shouto's thighs. "I don't know. It's just a bad day. Nothing bad really happened, I just feel really icky."
Shouto could sympathize. Kaeru could get like that sometimes, and he understood what dealing with a depressed alter was like.
"Ok," Shouto responds, not sure how to continue... "if you need anything just let me know."
Deku hums, relishing the feeling of having Shouto's hands in his hair. Shouto figures Deku i pretty content to just fall asleep right here, and he's right. He watches the green-haired boy's breath even out and the fingers that were lighty clutching his jeans loosen and fall to the side. Shouto permits a small smile directed to the boy, and keeps playing with his hair.