Everything was pleasantly numb - until Izuku tried to move. Stabbing pain in his side and chest foiled an attempt to roll over. The fuzziness of sleep fell away instantly as he recalled what happened. A shudder of disgust slithered up his spine and he struggled to focus on his current physical state rather than what almost happened.
A rib or two were definitely broken. His shoulders felt stiff and his back ached in a way that told him it was one massive bruise. His face throbbed in time with his heartbeat and he discovered a split lip when he licked them to alleviate dryness. There was also a dull pang in his ankle when he flexed it.
It wasn't the worst beating he'd ever had but it was thorough. Glancing around, he realized he was in his room. The door was ajar, letting light filter in from the hallway. The light threw deep shadows behind the door, causing an irrational surge of anxiety.
It seemed late but he could hear people talking in the living room. Tomura's familiar rough voice soothed Izuku's fear. "-don't care what you do with his shit. Sell it, burn it, whatever." He sounded pissed. Whoever he was talking to said something in response but it was too quiet to pick up.
Curiosity, hunger, and a full bladder eventually drove Izuku to climbing out of bed. Someone, hopefully Tomura, had stripped him to his boxers to wrap his chest and check for hidden wounds. The pain was easy to ignore once he got used to it, though he hobbled a bit due to his swollen ankle.
Once in the bathroom he caught a good look at the damage. His face was puffy and almost no part of him was unblemished. Not even the delicate skin between his legs, he noticed with queasy horror while relieving himself. Swallowing down bile, he went back to ignoring the incident as best he could.
When he emerged into the living room he spotted Tomura and the scarred man who saved him sitting at the counter. They both looked up when he padded closer. Izuku paused and hugged himself self consciously at the attention, wishing that he'd put on at least a shirt. Though in hindsight he probably couldn't lift his arms very high at the moment.
It was the stranger who broke the silent staring contest. "I'm surprised you can move right now. I'm Dabi, by the way. Your new, non psychotic neighbor. Your old one couldn't take the heat."
The terrible joke was delivered in a perfect deadpan tone. Izuku was torn between laughing and groaning. He settled for rolling his eyes and limping around the counter to investigate food.
"There's stir fry in the fridge, shrimp." Tomura pointed out, pointedly ignoring their guest.
Izuku found it and opted to eat it cold after trying and failing to lift his arms towards the microwave. There was a stool empty between Tomura and Dabi, which he stubbornly tried climbing on to. The pain made him grit his teeth before hands on either arm helped hoist him up.
"You really shouldn't be moving around." The pale man sounded aggravated with an undercurrent of concern. Izuku peered at him and noticed new red lines on this neck. He'd been stress-scratching again. It had been a while since that happened.
Trying to assure the two men, he shrugged. "I've had worse, it's ok."
It had the opposite effect. Dabi frowned darkly and Tomura scowled with a faintly manic glint in his eyes. Izuku shrank down in his seat at having the looks directed at him. Seeing the reaction, Tomura ground his teeth together but reached out to pet Izuku's hair. The greenette leaned into the touch. Over the months it had become a sure way to calm both of them down.
Struggling to divert the tense mood, the greenette peeked at Dabi in curiosity. "Why are you moving in so quick?"
The man shrugged, pushing Izuku's food closer pointedly. "I've been to the bar a few times. I was actually waiting for a spot to open. Saving you expedited the process. My current place is being demolished in spring."
Izuku took the hint and started eating. The two men continued talking over his head. "Kurogiri will need to approve it, but whatever. Move your stuff in whenever. It saves us the headache of looking for a replacement."
"I'll get rent to you by the end of the week. Will you guys replace the locks? I kind of melted the keys." The scarred man seemed amused.
"Sure, whatever. Come pick up the new ones tomorrow." Tomura sounded fed up and tired.
Picking up on it, Dabi stood with a stretch, joints popping. "We've got a deal then." The man gently patted Izuku's back before meandering to the door. "Don't get into any more fights 'till I get back, kid."
Izuku and Tomura were left in silence. The teen finished his food while the man brooded. Once he pushed the container away the pale man spoke up. "What exactly happened?"
He dreaded this discussion. All he wanted to do was forget it even happened but he knew Tomura wouldn't let it go. Licking his lips, he fidgeted before hugging himself. "T-that man… He… grabbed me on the way b-back from the st-tore. S-said… if I es-escaped he'd let me go b-but i-if not… I-I think he was going t-to r-rape me." His voice trembled and wavered with a vengeance, worse than it'd been in weeks.
Next to him, Tomura was deathly still and silent. When he mustered the courage to glance over, he flinched at the expression of fury pinching the man's features. Gloved hands trembled in clenched fists, fingers flexing like he was imagining strangling someone. The greenette started shrinking away, drawing the man's attention.
Tomura studied him for a moment before forcibly relaxing his expression. After a pause he reached out to rest his hand in Izuku's curls again. "No one has the right to hurt you. And only I'm allowed to kill you. Remember that, shrimp."
Blinking back tears, Izuku nodded and melted into the comforting pets. He needed to get stronger so that he could help Tomura keep the promise. The encounter highlighted just how useless he still was. Someone wouldn't always be around to save him.
They spent several minutes like that before Tomura drew his hand away. "You should get back to bed. It's late and you need to heal." He stood to help Izuku up.
The greenette was reluctant, recalling the menacing darkness and isolated feeling of his room. It was childish but he didn't want to return to it. He was slow to adjust to let the man lower him to the floor.
The obvious hesitation made Tomura frown. "What?"
"I-I… C-could..? S-sorry, n-never mind." He ducked his head to hide an embarrassed blush.
The verbal fumbling made a frown twist the man's lips. He kept a hand on Izuku's forearm, keeping him gently in place when he tried to move away. "Spit it out, shrimp. I thought we were past this."
It was true. Izuku's confidence around Tomura and Kurogiri had grown in spades. The days after nightmares always brought the stutter back, but nowhere near this bad. Then again, he wasn't at his best. Though this would push it on a normal day anyway.
Summoning his courage, he tried again. "C-can I st-tay with you tonight?" The words came out in barely a whisper. The request was mortifying but he found he hated the thought of being alone more.
Crimson eyes stared at him, baffled, for a long moment before he shrugged. "I don't care. Just don't hog the blankets." He huffed and urged Izuku to move.
The greenette complied this time, relief making him feel wobbly. He hadn't realized how tense with apprehension he'd been until Tomura assented. The man guided him into his room before leaving to use the restroom. Izuku shuffled over to the mattress and lowered himself down with a wince.
The man's room was a little neater than it had been at the old apartment. A dresser and bookshelf had been added to his collection of furniture, so only dirty clothes littered the floor. His desk was still messy, but with papers and files instead of just clutter. Izuku was amused to notice the moisturizer he'd gotten the man sitting on a corner of the surface. That probably meant he hadn't offended Tomura too much with it.
When the pale man came back, he closed the door and turned off the light. The glow of his computer monitor was bright enough to illuminate obstacles as he made his way over to the bed. "Pick a side, I don't care which." He sounded grumpy more than truly irritated but Izuku quickly crawled to the side closest to the wall. He didn't touch the blankets for now. He didn't want to annoy the man while invading his space.
Tomura stripped to his boxers as well before sliding under the covers. After a pause he threw a corner of the blanket over the greenette with a grumble. It was awkward but nice.
The bed wasn't suited for more than one person but Izuku was small enough to not take up much space. Their arms touched when both of them were on their backs. When he curled up facing the wall he was close enough to feel the heat radiating from Tomura but not touch him. He wanted to cuddle but he wasn't sure if the man would appreciate it.
The quiet breathing and warmth next to him made his eyes grow heavy after only a few minutes. If he'd gone back to his room he probably wouldn't have been able to sleep. As he dozed he dimly noticed Tomura adjusting before an arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him into a firm chest. A content sigh escaped him as he drifted off in comfort.