Third person pov

When they returned to Tenya's bedroom, the blood was gone. Neither needed to ask. They knew it was Tensei, and both were thankful. It was one less thing Tenya had to worry about as he helped Kit into the bed. Said boy didn't complain, though he did let out a hiss through his teeth as he carefully settled himself down. Tenya's brows were so furrowed with concern he was afraid they may get stuck like that at this rate. With the way things seemed to be going downhill with Kit's home life, that seemed quite likely. 

He'd been worried when Kit didn't contact him all day. It wasn't in Tenya's nature to be all that clingy, so he hadn't texted too much. Maybe once every few hours, just about things in general. He had said good morning as he always did, and then later mentioned that a new movie that he thought they should go see had come out. He then asked what he was having for lunch later, and once again texted at dinner to let him know he was welcome over whenever he wanted. It was at that point that he felt like he was beginning to message him a little too much and put a stop to it.

Tenya was glad his dear friend came. Seeing Kit lying on the floor flat, blood seeping from his head and body generally motionless wasn't an image he'd be getting out of his head anytime soon. But he was relieved. Relieved and angry. Not at Kit, of course. He could never be angry at Kit for this. He was enraged with the teen's mother, ready to march over there and give her a piece of his mind. Maybe pack up Kit's things and force him to stay here, where he could be safe and where Tenya could make sure he was protected.

The taller teen stood by, hands hovering at the ready as Kit adjusted himself tenderly. His eyes were red rimmed from crying, but he didn't show any emotion other than that. There was a grimace pulling at his lips, and a sharp look in his eyes, but he'd gone back to being the same guarded, private person he was. Tenya was okay with that. He was glad Kit had trusted him enough to let Tenya help at all. It was a huge weight off his shoulders to know Kit looked at him like that. That he saw the Iida boy as someone he could count on, even in an unsavory circumstance such as this.

"Damn." Kit grit his teeth, a snarky grin forming on his face. Tenya's lips twitched into a small smile at that. "I look like I lost a fight to a blender, don't I?"

"You look more like you won." Tenya assured him. He wanted to move to get the futon out, because that felt right. But he also wanted to hover nearby and stand here. Just to... watch. The overwhelming urge to stare was nothing short of completely and totally creepy. He knew this, and yet he couldn't help but gaze down into Kit's scarlet eyes. He looked right back, brows arching slightly in silent question. Tenya hoped Kit couldn't see how red his cheeks were getting in the dim room.

"Yeah, I'm sure this is the face of a winner." Kit eventually replied, voice dry and full of sarcasm that Tenya had grown accustomed to during his time knowing Kit. He hesitated momentarily before sitting on the edge of the bed, closer to the boy's legs. Kit squirmed backwards in an attempt to prop himself further up on Tenya's pillow so he could better see his friend. Tenya smiled just a little at that, unable to help himself. Kit was too perfect for words to describe. Even after just getting knocked down, he was already getting back up again. 

Kit was hurt, and that stung. It wasn't going to stop stinging, either. Tenya felt like it was going to weight on him for the rest of his life. If he'd been there, would things have been different? He sure hoped so. He would have interfered immediately. Tenya didn't tend to intervene in on things that weren't his business. If he saw someone breaking the rules, he got onto them for it. But personal things were just that: personal. But it was Kit, and... Tenya couldn't imagine not helping the brunette. The mere thought of leaving him to deal with any sort of dangerous or detrimental situation by himself made his insides curl with disgust. 

"Thank you, by the way." Kit grinned. "I know I came in looking like shit, and I still do, but thanks for... being there and shit. For... you know..." He tapered off, scowling more to himself than at Tenya. It made Tenya want to smile again. Kit was just so... Kit, and he liked that. He liked Kit. He was well aware that he couldn't say as such without making things weird, but he could settle happily for simply thinking it to himself at the moment. Here, with Kit and his thoughts. It wasn't a bad place to be. Even if he didn't quite enjoy Kit's condition. 

To think his own mother had done this to him. It made Tenya more enraged than he'd ever been in his life. More disgust warped within him, shifting between concern for Kit and revulsion towards his guardian. Parents were there to raise and protect you. They were there to provide. They chose to have kids, they chose to take on the responsibility. That's why it was so insanely wrong, what Kit's mother was doing. Yeah, her husband had died. It didn't give her a reason to hit her son. Did he forget that Kit had lot his father? And then, just like that, she'd ripped away his mother too? 

"It's no problem." Tenya assured with a small smile. Kit sighed deeply, finally letting himself relax. Tenya was right there, so things would be okay. Why wouldn't he count on the person he was in love with, you know? Well, he wasn't sure whether or not it was love. It sure felt like it. And if it wasn't, then he wasn't really sure how else to categorize it. Kit supposed it really didn't matter. Feelings were feelings. Did they really need a label? 

They sat there in silence, Tenya's hands clasped together tightly in his lap as Kit laid there and tried to relax. He was deep in thought, wondering how easy it would be to fit another bed in here. With some re-arranging, he didn't see why it wouldn't he possible. That was assuming his parents agreed. If they knew he was in danger at home, he doubted they would refuse. They were a family of heroes after all, and Kit all but lived here anyway. Him moving in wouldn't be the biggest change. 

Well, that wasn't true. He'd get to see Kit living on the more domestic side of life. The thought alone made his heart flutter, his mind immediately running off rampant. He'd get to see his brunette friend every day. He'd get to wake up to him grumbling about it being too early, and get to see his messy hair after his towel dried it. He'd get to see Kit with a laundry basket propped on his hip, and get to see him doing the dishes. He'd wear more casual wear around the house, Tenya was sure. The type of stuff you didn't really go out in. 

That was assuming Kit wanted to move in at all. Tenya knew he liked being here, but did he want to live here? Kit was someone who valued having his own space. That being said, it didn't sound very safe at his home. From the little Kit had said on the topic, his mother was unpredictable. He was probably always on edge and wondering. Nobody would ever have to feel like that in their own home. Your home was supposed to be a safe haven where you were accepted and could decompress after a long day. Not a place you went to be in fear of your own mother.

"You okay?" Kit asked, voice low. He looked exhausted, eyelids drooping. Tenya couldn't not smile at him. It was a soft expression he knew Kit would never let him live down, but Tenya couldn't help himself. Kit was here, resting and alright. The antsy feeling that had stemmed from not hearing from him all day faded into the back of his mind, washed away by the brunette's presence. 

"Yes, I'm fine." Tenya nodded readily. Kit gave a small smile, gazing at him. The light in the room was dim, but their eyes had long since adjusted. Kit could just barely make out the blue shade of his friend's eyes. As he stared, he realized it had been a while since he'd seen Tenya without glasses. And when he did see him without them, he didn't really pay all that much attention to how different he looked. But damn did he look different. And here Kit thought he was hot enough with his glasses.

Tenya waited patiently for Kit to fall asleep before pulling the futon out from under the bed and quietly unrolling it. The steady rise and fall of the shorter boy's chest was a huge comfort. More so than Tenya thought it would be, anyway. Just to know he was here and breathing calmed him exponentially. Kit could take care of himself, of course. Tenya just preferred if, you know, he could also take care of Kit. Just to make sure and everything.

Tensei peeked in not long after Tenya fell asleep, eyes shifting to Kit. The boy was sitting up now, looking beat down and worn out. His eyes shifted to Tensei when he realized he was there, giving the man a better view of his injuries. The older of the two Iida siblings felt his breath hitch in his throat at the sight, wondering just what could have happened to cause this. Was Kit mugged? Did he get on someone's bad side, and had been sought out? Kit was such a good kid, brash personality and vulgarity aside. Tensei couldn't imagine who'd do this to him.

"Are you alright?" Tensei asked quietly, scooting further into the room while being careful not to wake up his younger brother. He had a feeling he didn't really have to worry about it. The emotional toll had left Tenya dead to the world, sprawled out on the futon that looked too small to fit his massive frame. Tensei couldn't stop himself from smiling at the sight. Sometimes he forgot that Tenya was still a kid, with how mature he seemed and uptight.

"Peachy." Kit grumbled in response, pushing himself up further. His eyes shifted to where Tenya lay. "Sorry for the mess and shit."

"I really don't think that was your fault." Tensei gave a breathy chuckle. Kit's lips twitched up slightly, but he still looked downcast and stormy, like he was deep in thought about something. It wasn't common to see such a deep expression on Kit's face. He hid things well. At first glance, he didn't seem all that smart. His grades and overall perceptive nature begged to differ. Tensei eyed the teen from the corner of his eye with a sigh.

"Save your damn worry, Tensei. I'm alright." Kit gave a half-grin that reassured him only slightly. "Tenya patched me up right quick. I've had way worse, anyway."

Tensei frowned at that. "You shouldn't have needed to be patched up to begin with, Kit. How did this even happen?" He gestured towards the boy, feeling even more concern bubbling in the pit of his stomach. This was something Kit was used to. It was clear as day on his face that this wasn't his first rodeo, which meant he'd been hurt like this before. He'd just said himself that he'd had worse, and Tensei wasn't dumb either. He'd caught glimpses of scars someone so young shouldn't bear. He wondered what all Tenya had seen of the boy's previous injuries.

"Don't worry 'bout it." Kit grumbled, bringing up a hand to massage his aching temples. Once again, he stopped, realizing he couldn't. Not with his head wound. "I'll be alright. I always am. I'll be damned if I let this shit take me down."

Tensei frowned. "I can help, you know. We can. We're a family of heroes, Kit. Whatever trouble you're in, we can get you out of. Let us help you." The man urged. Kit smiled at him, but it wasn't a joyful one. It was the sad kind you wore when you'd lost any hope of escaping. He was resigned, to what, Tensei wished to god he had any idea. Kit was a strong kid, bold in ways others weren't, and not afraid to speak his mind. Tensei never would have suspected he was so worn underneath it all if not for this very moment.

"It's better nobody gets involved." Kit's voice was small. Tensei watched him slip off the bed, coming to settle criss-cross by Tenya's sleeping form. "I'd feel like shit if you got caught up in my fuckstorm of a life."

Tensei didn't have anything to say to that. He could only gaze sadly at Kit as he stretched his arms over his head. His joints cracked and popped, his shirt hiking up just enough for Tensei to catch the sight of something purple. The man felt bile edge at the back of his throat as his imagination filled in the blanks, painting a picture of Kit's bruised up torso. Kit, who was just a kid and didn't deserve any of this.

Still, he didn't speak. He only watched as Kit curled up beside Tenya on the too-small futon, pressing himself into the taller boy's side. 

Tensei wasn't sure he'd ever seen Kit look so small.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tenya woke up warm, but not unpleasantly so. A comforting weight was pressed into his side, his arm draped over something soft. It took him only a moment to realize that waking up with your arm draped over something that wasn't there the night before was concerning and most definitely not normal. He couldn't see very well at all without his glasses. He'd even go so far as to say he may as well be blind without his spectacles.

It didn't take him long to figure out what the weight was, and when he did, his face went red. Kit was tucked firmly against him, their bodies pressed together snugly. Kit fit against him perfectly, his smaller body easily being encapsulated by his larger one. He was just the right size for Tenya to put an arm over him. As if that wasn't enough, Kit's leg had hooked itself over Tenya's waist, and the blue-haired boy could feel the brunette's arm snaked over him as well, half clinging to him like some sort of koala. 

Tenya urged himself calmer, wondering just how Kit had gotten here on the floor. He would have come here himself, meaning he chose to curl up against Tenya. That, or he'd somehow fallen off the bed and rolled over. Tenya somehow doubted that was the case, but maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part. He didn't see why Kit would ever willingly want to... to cuddle with him. To sleep beside him.

Tenya leaned back just enough to get a better look at the tan boy. Kit had buried his face in Tenya's chest, breathing smooth and steady. He was using Tenya's other arm as a pillow it seemed, rendering him unable to move for the time being. Not that he really could have, with Kit clinging to him and all. That's not to say he wasn't enjoying it. It made his heart thump wildly and his face reach an uncomfortable temperature, but he'd be damned if it wasn't one of the best feelings in the world.

Kit's face was close enough that he could see it even without his glasses. Tenya couldn't think of a time he'd seen the shorter teen look more at peace. He seemed so much smaller, lying there. Tenya swelled with pride. Kit felt safe enough to fall into such a deep and serene sleep! He liked to think it was because of him, and that Kit had come down here because he felt safer next to Tenya and in his arms, but again, probably wishful thinking on his part. 

Tenya knew he was being weird. Watching someone sleep wasn't something deemed socially acceptable. He didn't know if those standards changed depending on who the person was or not, but Kit had appeared to come over here of his own free will. The possibility that he'd chosen this all by his lonesome without prompting was still fucking him over five minutes after the fact Kit had come down here with Tenya! Or he'd fallen. Tenya liked to think it was the former. That being said, it probably wasn't. Kit didn't-

"See something you like?" Kit's voice was heavy with exhaustion as he gazed tiredly up at Tenya, chin propped up on his chest. Tenya jolted out of his train of thought, face going scarlet. Kit was awake, and their faces were close. So close Tenya could feel Kit's breath fanning across his face. It smelt like oranges, and his lips were so close Tenya could simply shift his head downwards and meet them with his own. And it would all be so terribly easy, just to kiss him, and wrap him up in his arms.

"K-Kit, I-I- uh, it's n-not-" Tenya sputtered without his usual eloquence, eyes wide as saucers. Kit shifted, seeming only slightly more awake. The taller boy froze completely, his breathing coming to a dead halt. Kit's nose was nearly touching his own, they were so close. One tiny little move, and they would be-

"Tenya?" Kit asked, voice a whisper.

"Y...Yeah?" Tenya hoped his voice really wasn't as squeaky as it sounded.

"Calm down and shut up."

Tenya could only stare dumbly as Kit sunk back into the futon, burying his face into Tenya once more with a contented sigh that sent butterflies spiraling to life in the tall boy's stomach. His grip on Tenya tightened very briefly before going slack again. Tenya simply laid there. Not just because Kit was anchoring him in place, truly. If he was being completely honest with himself... Tenya wasn't sure there was any other place he'd rather be.

"Ten Signs You're Low-Key In Love With Your Best Friend"

1.) Physical contact

Even something as minor as bumping shoulders is enough to send your heart running. If any form of physical contact with your best friend sends your cardiac muscle into mayhem and caused even the butterflies in your stomach to go doki-doki, you might be in love with them. Does your face and body get hot? Do tingles race up your spine? Do you get random urges to just touch them and be closer to them in hopes of maybe you'll brush hands? Maybe you even stare at them and admire their body or face. Maybe their smile or the way their brow crinkles when they laugh. If you're experiencing literally any of what I just said, brace yourself. You've got the love bug, honey!

2.) You want to be with them all the time

They could move into your house and you'd be totally and completely happy. You want them by your side at all times if at all possible. If they're not in your line of sight, they're on your mind. How are they doing? Are they getting enough sleep? Are they talking to someone else? Oh god, should you text them?! You hope and pray they'll ask to hang out. You genuinely adore their presence. You bask in it. Handcuffing yourself to them doesn't actually sound like a half-bad idea when you really think about it. Check yourself. You're either in love or unhealthily obsessed.

3.) Attractive

You find them attractive, but hey, you'd think that about anyone attractive. It's not just them, you say! Hahahahah! Yeah, you're wrong. You catch yourself admiring them all the time, don't you? I bet your heart even picks up it pace anytime they show even just a little more skin. Yes, I'm calling you out. Get it in your head. You're totally in love, or at least a little bit. Just admit it. They're hot and you've noticed. Open your eyes and see the light! Smell those roses! Love is in the air!

4.) Jealousy

Oh my, what's this? Does your heart lurch painfully whenever you see them with someone else who isn't you? Maybe they're flirting with someone, or someone is flirting with them. Maybe they're on a date, or simply interacting with another friend. It doesn't matter. If your gut flips uncomfortably and you feel an odd amount of resentment towards the person they're interacting with, you're probably jealous. You just want them to be by your side, right? You want their attention on you and not whoever the hell they're talking to. Check yourself. If you're overly jealous, you may be in love.

5.) Oh no, thoughts

Are you having some inappropriate thoughts about your dearest, best friend? Maybe you find yourself staring at their lips and wondering what it'd be like to kiss them. Maybe you imagine holding them in a way friends don't hold one another! Hey, perhaps you've even had a dream or eight about what being with them sexually might be like. These are clear signs you're at least attracted to them. Are you in love? Depends on how many of these you're experiencing. Either way, you at least want in their pants, or you want them in yours. Reel in your urges and thoughts, kids. Nobody wants a sexual assault charge on their person.

6.) Their pain is your pain

If they're upset, you're upset. You get mad on their behalf! Sad! Happy! Excited! Anything you can think of. Their mood effects yours, doesn't it? I bet it does. Not like other, normal people's do. No, this person is special, aren't they? Them crying breaks your heart into a thousand tiny little pieces. But hey, when they smile, you probably feel like you're basking out in the sun with a martini. If your best friend's mood heavily impacts your own, to an extent that is quite frankly a little off, then you may be in loveeee. Oo la la!

7.) You would do anything for them

Everything is on the table. They need someone murdered? Yeah, I know. You're seriously considering it. Maybe they're in trouble! Maybe they're the one who hurt someone. You'd do anything to protect them though, wouldn't you? You'd let them hide out with you for as long as they needed. Any favors they need done, you're helpless to refuse! If you're seriously willing to do just about everything for this person, you need to explore the possibility that maybe you're in love. Especially if you've made it this far down the list.

8.) It's not a normal day if you haven't talked somehow

Maybe you texted, maybe you called. Hell, maybe you showed up on their front door out of the blue. Doesn't matter. If a day goes by and you don't hear a word from them, is it weird? Do you get uncomfortable tingles? Maybe you're just obsessed, or maybe you're in love. But if your days feels completely off and all out of sorts just because they didn't say good morning to you or ask how you were doing, something's amiss. Whether or not it's love depends on how many of these hit their mark.