Finished - November 25, 2022

Word Count - 4590

Music - George Winston - Joy

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With the change of seasons came with great anticipation of the winter holidays. The entire dorm was decorated for Christmas, complete with colorful lights, large stockings and even a garnished pine tree. Smells of fresh baked pie filled the air, from the cherry pie Allira and Sato made together as a surprise for their dorm.

The U.A. students were able to celebrate their christmas vacation as they wished. Students came and went as they pleased, spending time with friends and family. The only rule was that they were asked to come back at the end of the day for their usual head count. Other than sleeping arrangements, everything was quite normal.

Though, for Allira it was very different. She and her father hadn't celebrated Christmas since her mother passed away. It was Hisano's favorite holiday and Yuu had not been able to find the joy of Christmas ever since.

Allira however, found the holiday nostalgic and a pleasant reminder of better days. The familiar smells, sights and sounds brought back fond memories.

Upon Christmas Eve she came back from her fathers house just after dinner, a bit earlier than normal. With the desire of dwelling upon happy thoughts, she sat herself in the very center of the couch. Which gave her the perfect view of the pretty Christmas tree.

Because of her father, she hadn't had a Christmas tree since she was a child, therefore she wasn't going to let its beauty go to waste now.

Her eyes danced over twinkling lights, carefully wrapped presents and the silly stockings her classmates had handmade. Each one was made of an actual sock and a piece of paper stapled to each one with everyone's names. The sight was humorous and looked as if a child had made them. Yet, it felt right.

With a blanket over her lap Allira brought out her crochet project and continued. Expertly hooking and pulling the soft yarn through each loop to make the last few lines of the scarf she was making.

Her fingers worked on autopilot as her mind wandered. She couldn't believe the year was half way over, she had been attending U.A. for a whole semester, five entire months.

She had become very comfortable at this school with these people. She was incredibly nervous because it was usually around this time that she would be forced to leave. They never stayed in one place too long. It seemed that the moment she felt at ease, everything would change.

Instead of sinking into negative thoughts, she took a deep breath to clear her mind. She focused on the atmosphere and how cozy it was. With the fireplace crackling, Christmas tunes playing softly and the view of snow falling outside. The only light coming from the soft glow of the christmas tree made it incredibly peaceful.

The calm was much appreciated after the grueling final exams of last week. Tests and physicals stacked up on top of eachother right before winter break and the end of their first semester.

Allira had been paired up with Tokoyami and they worked very well together. Their techniques matched up perfectly since they were both known for hiding in the shadows. To hide and ambush quickly as an assassin.

Though their weakness turned out to be their sensitivity to light. Dark shadow fled from bright lights and Allira's handicapped eyes frailed in the brightness.

Allira's eyes were always very temperamental, she had incredibly poor eyesight and wore glasses at all times. In addition, because of her albinism, her eyes had not been able to complete their growth. She was incredibly sensitive to bright or flashing lights. This was one of the reasons her eyes were cloudy and pale, just like the rest of her.

As Allira worked on the crochet scarf she heard a few of her friends come through the front door. It seemed like Jiro, Kaminari and Asui had just arrived back from their family visits.

The students stomped the snow from their shoes and stripped away their winter gear. Each one warming up from the brisk outdoors.

"Wow, it's so cold out there." Asui's teeth chattered, the poor frog hated the winter season was too cold for her coldblooded quirk.

"Welcome back." Allira turned to greet them, without getting up from the snug nest she had made on the couch.

"Hey Takari, you look cozy in there." Jiro warmed her hands by the fireplace.

Allira lifted the blanket to her cheeks and nodded, she was definitely very warm and comfortable.

"What are you working on?" Kaminari joined her on the couch.

"A present for my dad, I have to finish it by tomorrow." Allira held out the scar for them to see better. "I make one for him every year, it's more of a tradition now."

"That's so sweet." Asui grabbed a blanket of her own and cuddled into the cushions of the couch.

"Were you guys all together or were you with your families?" Allira asked, remembering how they all came in together.

"We were all in the same area when celebrating, so we caught the same ride back to campus." Jiro answered.

"That makes sense."

The conversation continued and more and more students started flooding the common room. All returning from their excursions or coming down from their rooms. It was almost time for the nightly head count, so the congregation was expected.

The last student to arrive was Bakugo. He tossed off the shoes from his numb feet and pulled the scarf from his neck as he entered the warmth of the dorm.

He was tired, overly exhausted from spending the day with his cranky relatives. Bakugo family gatherings were always crazy, full of yelling, interrogations and overly sweet food. He loved his family, but one day a year was plenty.

As Bakugo walked into the common room he heard the noise, the commotions of every single one of his classmates, each excited with the buzz that Christmas brought. Excited chatter and silly giggles echoed off the walls.

Once he stepped fully into the room, he saw something that caused his heart to lift.

Amongst the commotion, in the very center of the rowdy group, sat Takari. She looked content and happy. Even though she was surrounded by people and chaos, she looked comfortable. Comfortable with the noise and the friends she had made.

She sat next to Kaminari and Todoroki, her hands fiddling with a hook and a complicated string of yarn. She showed no signs of anxiety and wasn't reaching for her necklace that soothed her jitters. Instead she looked genuinely cheerful.

This was a huge step forward for Takari, usually she would flee from social interactions and hide from large groups. Never did he think that he would observe her sitting so merrily in such a large group.

The thought lifted Bakugo's spirit immediately, no longer did he feel drained from his long day. But he was moved by her social growth, honored to see how far she had come.

Bakugo debated joining the crowd, but he couldn't see any space available next to Takari and he didn't really want to sit by anyone else. He wasn't willing to go over and socialize if he couldn't talk to her, so he decided against it.

He huffed in disappointment and made his way across the room, towards the stairs. He would leave a note on his door for Aizawa that he went to bed. It wouldn't be the first time Bakugo would go to bed early, therefore it wasn't out of the ordinary.

However, before Bakugo could retire in peace a voice called his name.

"Bakugo, come on over here." Kirishima called his friend.

Bakugo turned his head to look at the large group and his eyes immediately met with Takari. A flash of recognition in her eye as their gaze connected.

"There's no room over there." Bakugo stated plainly.

All heads turned to observe the many empty seats of the couch and the grand space of the floor, where many students laid. Obviously this was not a real excuse, but a way for him to get out of the situation.

Bakugo noticed immediately after his words that Takari's eyes dropped slightly in dismay, letdown by the fact that he would not join them. The sight physically squeezed Bakugo's heart, burdened by the thought that he had made her sad.

"Don't be such a downer, it's Christmas Eve!" Sero waved his arm in agreement with Kirishima.

Bakugo rolled his eyes and grunted to himself. He sucked up his pride and gave in, not because his friends asked, but because he didn't want to leave Takari so blue.

Everyone expected him to sit in the far corner, furthest away from everyone so he wouldn't have to talk to anyone. Simply to satisfy the wishes of his friends. Instead it astonished everyone when he sat directly in the center of the commotion.

Bakugo sat down on the floor, his back leaned against the sofa, right next to Takari's legs. He placed himself in the middle of the room, in plain sight, so he could be next to Takari.

This was the last place anyone would guess, even Allira herself had a hard time processing what had happened. The room was completely quiet as they swallowed this incompatible information.

"I'm here. You got a problem with where I sit?" Bakugo yelled, breaking the silence.

A few throats cleared as the students attempted to forget what had just happened and start a new conversation.

Uraraka inquired about people's plans for tomorrow, Christmas Day. Most people said the same thing, a large meal with their family or visiting relatives. Some people said that their family had traditions like hiking, movie marathons and other strange traditions.

Meanwhile Allira listened contently, though her mind was wholly focused upon the body heat against her right thigh.

Bakugo's body temperature always ran warm, even if he was cold. His quirk pushed his body heat to rise above that of a "normal" person. His presence was always welcome to Allira, who had weak circulation and always ran cold.

Not too long later, Aizawa entered the dorm. Though he was not alone, the small figure of Eri trailed behind him as he entered the large room.

"Eri!"

"Merry Christmas Eri!"

Most of the students ran directly to the adorable girl, excited to see their favorite child. The girl giggles as she was washed with kisses and love from Uraraka and Mina.

"Merry Christmas." Eri cheered in glee.

"You got it right this year!" Midoriya held out his hand to high five the girl, who gladly clapped back.

"I did it!" She smiled brightly looking up to Aizawa.

"Nice job kiddo." The teacher grinned in pride.

Eri took a turn about the room and greeted all the students, saying Merry Christmas to each. As if she had never said it before and she was determined to say it to everyone.

By the time she got to Bakugo and Takari, Eri had said Merry Christmas over a dozen times. But this was not going to stop her from saying it again to them.

"Merry Christmas!" She beamed.

"Yeah yeah. Run along you little rat." Bakugo turned his head and folded his arms.

The sight made Allira laugh because she could see just the slightest shade of pink upon Bakugo's cheeks. She knew that Bakugo secretly enjoyed Eri's cuteness, but he would never admit it.

"Merry Christmas Eri." Allira snickered and placed a hand on Bakugo's shoulder.

The small girl fluffed in happiness that Allira had said it back to her. Eri's feet refused to stay still as they tapped gleefully upon the carpet.

"Merry Christmas!" She shouted one last time and ran back to Aizawa's side.

Allira shook her head in disbelief. How could such a child be so adorable?

Aizawa finished his head count and said goodnight, taking a quite disappointed Eri with him. Since nightly checks had finished, most people said their adieu's and also retreated to bed. With the large holiday in the morning, they all needed their rest.

As the late nighter she was, Allira wasn't ready for bed yet. A couple other students agreed with her and stayed by the tree to socialize a few more minutes. These people were Kirishima, Ashido, Jiro, Kaminari, Tensutensu, Bakugo and herself.

She was surprised that Bakugo stayed downstairs, he was such an old man and went to bed as early as possible. But not this time, he actually decided to stay up and spend time with people. Which was odd.

After a few minutes, Bakugo did something to answer her question. From his pocket, he pulled out a set of earbuds and put them into his ears. He then folded his arms, closed his eyes and literally tuned out.

This was not so surprising and was proof of his character. He wanted to be included, but also wanted to sleep. Therefore he settled for both. A few minutes passed and the pressure on Allira's leg increased, meaning that Bakugo had officially fallen asleep.

Arms still folded, head rested upon her knee and breathing even, Bakugo slept peacefully. The fact squeezed her heart, that he felt comfortable enough around her to let go and relax. Enough to actually doze off upon her.

Allira finished her fathers scarf and listened to her friends bicker, laugh and enjoy eachothers company. Jiro and Kaminari argued over what the best holiday food was, while Tensutensu and Kirishima arm wrestled. Ashido cheered on both teams with equal glee, but stood on Kirishima's side of the table.

The moment was beautiful, lighthearted and bliss. To be surrounded by loved ones and the joys that the holidays brought. Though everyone soon grew tired and realized that eventually needed to go to bed.

Tensutensu and Kirishima were the first to leave, then Kaminari, lastly Jiro and Ashido walked up to the girls floor together.

On her way out, Ashido leaned down to Allira's level and said something softly. "Take care of him." Her eyes looked down to the sleeping boy at Allira's legs.

Allira didn't know how to respond and simply watched them walk away, which left Allira and Bakugo alone.

She looked down to Bakugo, fast asleep. His face was soft, an expression not common for him when he was awake. He looked content, with his cheek squished up against her knee. She didn't want to wake him up, to disturb him from his slumber. But she wouldn't get any sleep if she stayed.

With a sigh, she placed her hand on his shoulder and shook him slightly. "Hey, wake up."

The boy groaned, readjusted slightly, but didn't awaken.

Allira tried a second time, a bit rougher. "Come on big guy, time to get up."

Bakugo sat up and rubbed his eyes, the pressure and warmth on her leg leaving. Causing Allira to feel the cold again.

He took out his headphones and stretched his arms. With his headphones out he hadn't turned off his music and Allira could now hear what he was listening to. Just vaguely, she heard the remnants of the very loud music.

"Woh, woh. What are you listening to?" She asked, noting how rough it sounded. "How can you sleep with that?"

"Huh?" Bakugo hadn't fully woken up yet.

"Can I listen?" Allira asked.

The question caught Bakugo off guard, no one was interested in his music. It was always too loud and too scary for most people. Hesitantly he stood up, sat next to her on the couch and gave her one of his headphones. The cord only reached so far, so it was the perfect excuse to sit close to her.

He refused to let such a good excuse go to waste, therefore he pulled the blanket up and moved himself into the warm fabric. Situating it in a way that they were both still covered.

Bakugo watched as she fixed the earbud in place, her eyes closed as she listened to the music. It was a Heavy Metal group, not super well known, but Bakugo enjoyed their sound. He hadn't shared his music with many people, because he usually received a negative reaction.

However, Allira wasn't giving him any odd looks or disapproving expressions. Instead she held her hand over her ear, eyes closed and simply listened.

Allira had never heard this kind of music before. It felt alive and took her to a different place, it hyped her up, like she was rejuvenated. The melody was simple, but she was drawn more to the rhythm, the drums and the heavy base. Her heart synched up with the beat as she was carried away with the deep tones.

"Wow..." She breathed.

"Wow?" Bakugo questioned, still not able to read her reaction.

"What is that?"

"It's a band." He answered simply.

"No. I mean what kind of music is that?" She corrected herself.

"It's heavy metal."

"I've never heard of that before."

"Come on, no way." Bakugo lifted his eyebrow, as if he didn't believe her.

"I'm serious." Allira defended. "My father and I only ever listened to classical music, it was my mom's favorite. Other than Beethoven and Bach, I don't know much other music. But I like this."

Bakugo was unable to close his mouth in disbelief. After so long, he still had to get used to the sheltered life she had led. Not knowing common things like board games, music and holiday traditions.

"You are something else, huh Squintz." Bakugo shifted his weight forwards and leaned his elbow on his knees.

Allira didn't know if this was a compliment or simply a comment. But she couldn't help but notice his appealing figure, sitting so close, leaning forwards attractively. She had the sudden desire to trace her hand over his back, but refrained herself from doing so.

"Um, thanks for showing me." She shook the thoughts from her head and handed him back his earpiece.

"Yeah whatever." Bakugo wrapped up his headphones neatly and tucked them into his pocket.

It was that moment that Allira remembered the item she had in her craft bag. She had made Bakugo a gift and she wanted to give it to him for Christmas. Allira knew it would be better to have him open it without other people around, she wanted his genuine reaction.

"Oh, I have something for you." Allira leaned over to her large yarn bag and grabbed a small box. No bigger than a piece of bread, the little black box was tied together with a yellow ribbon.

"What the hell is this for?" He eyes the present.

"For Christmas. Just open it." She rolled her eyes at his skepticism.

Bakugo was uncertain about the situation and carefully took the box into his hands. He placed it into his lap and pulled the ribbon loose. He lifted the lid and opened the small package. Inside laid a simple braided leather cord bracelet. In the very center, a tiny pink stone was laced into the leather strings. It was skillfully hand made and pleasant.

"That's a rose quartz." Takari pointed to the gem. "I use it for healing, so I know I can always help you. If you wear it."

Bakugo was speechless, he didn't know what to say. This was not only a gift, but a practical tool she could use to help him. The thought was overly sweet and overwhelming.

It seemed like Takari took his silence the wrong way and she started to fidget with her necklace, her nerves sky rocketing.

"You don't have to wear it. I'm sorry, it was a silly idea. It's too girly isn't it, I tried to keep it simple. I'll just-" She reached over and tried to take the box away, to hide it and forget this had ever happened.

But Bakugo interrupted before she could steal his gift back. "Will you put it on me?"

This was enough to settle her anxieties and stop her rambling. She looked up to him with glassy eyes, a smile lifting her features as she realized what he meant.

Takari removed the bracelet from the box and loosened each end. Bakugo held out his arm and rested it on her legs as she carefully tied each end around his wrist.

The subtle touch of her fingers against his skin felt like electricity, each tiny touch was a shock to his system. During the shortests connections, his mind wasn't able to focus on anything else, except for the feeling of her hands upon him.

Allira carefully connected the ends of the bracelet and made sure it was secured. It was odd to see something she had made on him and it made her happy. This meant that he would carry a piece of her with him wherever he went and she could take comfort that he was wearing it. It gave her peace of mind to know that if he was ever in trouble, she could heal him.

Even after she had finished and the bracelet was secured, she did not let go. Her eyes and touch lingered over his right hand, as if she was lost in thought.

Takari blinked a few times before realizing what she was doing and quickly removed her hands from his. "Sorry."

They had shared a moment like this before, in the forest. At the time, their kiss was more "spur of the moment" rather than passion. But this time felt different, more connected, closer than before.

This time, they both knew exactly what they wanted and how they felt. No confusion. No second thoughts. No toxic voices.

"Takari." Bakugo breathed.

The girl looked up in surprise, that was the first time Bakugo had used her actual name.

"I-I..." He stuttered, trying to use the right words. "I don't know how to do this. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know anything."

Bakugo steadied his breathing and took her hand into his again. "But I do know that I want you in my life. You have changed the way I see people and you helped me realize things about myself. You are positive, helpful, strong and kind. Things I-I will never be."

Allira listened in awe of his words, her eyes growing damp.

"You have an amazing quirk that will help so many people. You're secretly feisty, but you also let people walk all over you. You are confusing and weird. I can't stop thinking about your laugh, your stupid squinting, how you grip my clothing when your nervous and how your touch calms me down immediately. I think about you everyday and at first I didn't understand what that meant. But now I can see that I don't just want you in my life. But I need you to stand next to me. Takari, will you walk with me?"

At this point Allira was a mess, tears dropped freely from her eyes and her entire body shook with emotion. No one had ever spoken to her that way, or said such things. She hardly ever received compliments, let alone an entire confession.

She wanted so badly to agree and fall into his embrace, but there was still one thing holding her back.

"Well, say something." Bakugo aked after a moment of silence.

The flood gates opened and everything Allira had been bottling up popped.

"I want to! I want to walk with you, more than anything. But I don't know if I have the strength, I'm scared. Terrified that if I say yes and start this and it would all be wonderful." She gripped his arms and cried.

"Why is that a bad thing?" Bakugo didn't understand.

"What happens when I have to leave again?" She bawled. "I'll get taken away, you'll forget me and I'll be all alone. Left with memories of a beautiful time that I can never go back to. It happens every time, I allow myself to live in the moment and then things change and I'm the one who remembers. Everyone else gets to stay happy and I'm always alone."

Hearing these words broke Bakugo's heart. She had been dealing with this for years, over and over she had been torn away from every person she's ever met.

"I can't be angry with my father, he works hard and I know he loves me. But sometimes I can't help but wish that he wasn't a good nurse, then he wouldn't have to move so much. But it's terrible of me to think this way, because he has saved hundreds of lives and I'm proud of him. But it hurts and I can't keep living like this!"

Bakugo now understood why she had been so distant, why she protected her heart so much. He now knew the reason she was so reluctant to make friends and had isolated herself.

She had a crippling fear of heartbreak, so she forced herself into loneliness instead. But because of her home life, she was forced to relive this vicious cycle over and over again.

"If you keep that attitude, you'll never be happy." Bakugo softly reached over and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Bending over backwards for your father, never making friends, never finding someone? You're sacrificing your entire life for something as trivial as that?"

Bakugo's comment was unexpected and new to Allira. She had never thought about it that way before. Her father was always the consistent person in her life, therefore she let herself believe that she needed to protect him. To always do as told, go above and beyond, never let him see how broken she was.

"I know you keep your distance from people because of your past. But even if your crazy dad takes you away from here, I will not let go of you. I will chase you down and drag you back here if he tries to keep you away from this place. These people love you and he won't keep you from the people you love."

She never allowed herself to think about the future, a life different from her current path of repetition.

Allira fell forwards into Bakugo's embrace and squeezed her arms around his back. Craving the warmth and comfort he provided. The tears still fell harder as she tried to keep it together.

"I'm still scared." She choked.

"It's okay to be scared." Bakugo rubbed up and down her back. "This is new for me too, we can figure it out together."

It took a minute for Allira to calm herself down and when she felt brave enough, she pushed slightly against Bakugo's chest. Which Bakugo took a sign to let go, so he loosened his grip as she sat up in his arms. Allira's hands still resting upon his forearms she looked up to him with red eyes.

"I will walk with you."

Bakugo's soul lifted the moment the words left her lips and he couldn't avoid the sigh of relief that escaped him. The weight of his feelings were finally accepted and he couldn't be happier.

He didn't plan on wasting any time, especially because Takari was right. They didn't know when she would move away. Therefore he did what he had wanted to do for days.

Bakugo gripped Takari's shoulders gently and pulled her forwards, causing her lips to meet his. Once again they shared a moment of bliss, but this one was much better than their first.

This kiss was tender, affectionate and joyful. Because they knew that it wouldn't be their last. They had an entire new adventure ahead of them and they would tackle it together.