Finished - December 5, 2022

Word Count - 2568

Music - Eternal Sorrow - two Steps From Hell

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With the new semester, came new exams. The month was only February and the U.A. students were already deep into studying. This meant; more caffeine, more trips to the library and very little sleep. Stress was a disease that infected everyone in the dorm, spreading through each student as the exam drew closer.

Sprawled across the floor, several students gathered in the common room to study together. Each accompanied by textbooks, note cards, pencils, loose papers and much needed cups of coffee.

Todoroki, Denki,Takari, Bakugo,Yaoyorozu, Ashido, Kiriskima, Ida, Uraraka and Midorya had been studying for hours. Their efforts turned into exhaustion.

Denki and Ashido complained about their low grades, wishing they hadn't missed so many previous assignments. While Yaoyorozu scolded them for their unprofessional habits. Though, this didn't stop her from helping them study.

Upon the carpet laid Bakugo and Takari. The two students shared a single set of earbuds, listening to the loud music Bakugo enjoyed so much. They laid face down on the floor, noses deep within their textbooks.

Though the black tea Takari had been drinking did nothing to keep her awake. The girl's head bobbed up and down and she attempted to keep her eyes open. The late nights and long hours took their toll upon their sleep schedules.

Bakugo was drawn from his concentration to observe Takari's struggle to stay awake. His mind turned from his note cards to watch as Takari's white eyelashes fluttered up and down in drowsiness.

He realized that this might be a recurring habit for Takari, to fall asleep in inappropriate places. Though he didn't have any arguments, Bakugo was quite enjoying the image of her falling asleep next to him.

In addition, Takari was laying extremely close to him, their hips and legs touching all the way down. The position was comfortable and not too mushy for his subconscious aversion of pda. This way he was not ashamed to occasionally rub her back, hold her hand, smell her hair or pull her closer.

Bakugo was always very physically driven, his love language demanded physical touch. Though he'd never had an outlet before. His parents weren't quite the affectionate type and he definitely wasn't going to ask anyone. But with Takari, he allowed himself to fill his love tank.

Slowly, Takari's head drifted lower and finally hit the floor softly. Her cheek squished against the carpet and glasses pressed awkwardly into her face.

The sight caused Bakugo to chuckle, how she looked so exhausted and sweet.

Bakugo reached out carefully and took the glasses from her face. He pulled them gently out of the way and rested them upon one of her notebooks.

The action was not surprising to the rest of the room. They had seen plenty of tender encounters over the last few weeks. Everyone in the dorm knew about their relationship and they seemed genuinely happy for them both.

Since he had just witnessed Takari' slumber, Bakugo too was growing drowsy. Seeing her asleep gave him the desire to sleep as well.

Plus, he wasn't able to focus on his studies anymore anyway. Not with Takari sleeping so close to him, not when she scooted closer to him, not when she absentmindedly wrapped her hand around his arm.

He definitely wasn't concentrating on his homework now.

"Hey wake up, I'm tired of you snoring on me." Bakugo's voice was loud, but his action stayed gentle.

Takari groaned as her eyes woke from peaceful dreams.

"Come on, grab your stuff. You're going to bed." Bakugo sat up and started packing up both of their belongings.

Still unawake, Takari rubbed her eyes and searched for her glasses. But because she wasn't wearing her glasses she couldn't see where they were. She sat up on her knees and started fumbling around, patting the floor.

"Do I have to do everything for you?" Bakugo pretended to throw a fit. He easily found her glasses and placed them into her hand, secretly enjoying her dependance upon him.

The students made sure they gathered everything and stood up to leave the common area.

"See you in the morning." Takari waved sluggishly to her remaining friends in the large room.

"Alright alright. Let's go sleepyhead." Bakugo led her towards the stairs.

Since Allira wasn't fully awake, her feet were slow and sloppy. Her toes caught on the edges of the stairs and her fingers gripped the handrail tightly.

Bakugo seemed to notice and rested his hand on the base of her spine, which was his way of keeping her safe. Allira enjoyed the warm presence of his hand in such an affectionate place, it made her feel safe. His actions made Allira melt even more into his loose grip.

The couple arrived upon the third floor, which was a level above the boys. This meant that Bakugo went out of his way to walk Allira to her room.

Books in her hands, Allira fumbled rearranging her items to free one of her hands to open the door. As she shuffled, she felt a light tug on her chin. She looked up as Bakugo wrapped his hand around the back of her neck gently. He pulled just slightly on the base of her hair, forcing her to meet his gaze.

Slowly, Bakugo made sure she didn't turn away and planted a delicate kiss on the top of her forehead.

The many textbooks in Takari's hands suddenly became a shackle, which kept her from reciprocating. She wanted to hold him in response, to touch his hair too. But the stupid books kept her still.

Bakugo released her, his eyes deep with desire. The sight caused Allira's knees to shake, because she didn't want him to stop. In fact she wanted much more than a silly forehead kiss.

"See ya, Squintz." Bakugo stepped back, his hands stuffed back into his pockets.

Suddenly Allira couldn't control her own vocal cords, they spoke out to what her heart truly wanted, whether or not her brain had caught up yet.

"Wait." She called.

Bakugo turned, his eyebrow lifted.

She had stepped across the line there was no taking it back, she had to say something.

"U-Um...I-I...uh..." Allira struggled to speak.

"Spit it out, I don't have all night." Bakugo stepped back up to her, his form towering over her tiny, nervous frame.

Allira was incredibly apprehensive, her arms shook with embarrassment and she couldn't look him straight in the eye. The pencils jingled as her body trembled, making a clattering noise loud enough to mask her tiny voice.

"Takari." Bakugo once again lifted her chin to face him. "Speek."

Something about his forward approach gave Allira confidence and she finally spoke her mind. Plus, she was no match for his charm when he said her name.

"Could I go with you tonight?"

The question stunned Bakugo for a moment, he hadn't expected that at all. Impressed by her bravery, his heart pounded at the thought of sharing a room with Takari. Maybe even a sleeping space.

Bakugo had been ready for more contact for months and ached at the possibility. Granted, they've only been official for a few weeks and it wasn't a possibility until recently. Nevertheless, it didn't stop his dreams or desires.

"Are you sure?" He asked seriously.

Takari once again looked down, but didn't let her face fall completely. Instead her gaze aligned with his collarbone. "I might not be ready for that, but I want to start getting ready."

"Alright." Bakugo's heart bloomed with hope as her words brightened his spirits.

Once Allira was given approval to stay over, she quickly opened her dorm door and rushed inside. Her heart pounded with anticipation and excitement.

"I'll change and meet you up at your room." She dumped her school supplies on her desk.

"Just make sure no one sees you." Bakugo stressed the importance of stealth.

"Yeah yeah." Allira waved him off and started gathering overnight items.

Once her door was closed, she changed into a comfortable set of pajamas. Which consisted of a baggy black shirt and a pair of spandex shorts, that she double checked to make sure they covered her scar.

In a bag, she also stuffed an extra change of morning clothes and a book.

Once satisfied, she peaked her head out of her room and looked down the hallway. She used the labradorite in her earring to watch for people coming down the hallway. She had recently figured out how to sense energy levels, just as her mother had been able to do.

Allira remembered the technique during her training, since she was using her quirk again, more memories of her mother returned. Specifically when Aizawa was instructing her in using labradorite for telecommunication.

The concept was simple, she pushed her energy through the labradorite crystal and instead of using her immediate senses, she dug a little deeper. This way she was able to physically see other people's energy in the form of translucent purple clouds.

Upon her inspection, she didn't sense anyone and deemed the coast clear. Allira tiptoed all the way down the hall and down to the second level. Careful not to draw any attention to herself, as the only female upon the second floor.

Her heart pounded furiously as she rapped lightly on Bakugo's door, as her toes bounced up and down in pent up anxiety and excitement.

She wasn't standing too long before Bakugo opened the door and quickly ushered her inside. He closed the door silently, but not before checking the halls for any peering eyes.

Allira didn't know what to do and simply stood in the entrance, holding her bag close to her chest. Fingers picking at the drawstring nervously. She felt extremely awkward. This was the first time she had been in his room, a new place that didn't feel familiar yet.

Bakugo's room was not what she expected, everything was extremely neat and organized. Which was incredibly impressive, since Allira's visit wasn't planned.

A full size bed was pressed into the corner furthest away from the window, a set of gray bedding and two black pillows laid carefully in place. An impressive bookcase held several textbooks, novels and the occasional All Might figure. Posters from heavy bands were pinned expertly on the walls, along with a few family photos, which Allira found very cute. He even had a special rug set up next to his desk that held his Hero gear, some of which Allira recognized. Specifically his large gauntlets and waist bag. One of the closet doors hung open slightly, leaving just enough room for Allira to see an array of color coordinated outfits, mostly the same colors of black, green, red and tan.

Overall everything was extremely balanced and well placed. Everything matched because he used the same dark shades over and over again. He really picked an aesthetic and stuck with it.

As much as Allira enjoyed the different tone, she was missing some of her more colorful accessories. She immediately decided it was her duty to invade this perfect room with her many trinkets.

"Well, are you just going to stand there?" Bakugo noticed her awkward stance in front of his door.

Allira didn't answer verbally, but stepped forwards and dropped her bag to the ground next to the bed. However, this proved to be a poor decision. Bakugo stomped over immediately and snatched the bag from the floor in a huff.

"Don't put your stuff on the floor!" Bakugo hung the bag on the handle of his closet. "It deserves better than that."

The action startled her slightly, but she realized what he meant and smiled. You deserve better than that.

"Well, um...do you still have to change into pajamas?" Allira noticed that Bakugo was still wearing his sweatpants and the black shirt from before.

"I don't have any." He stated plainly and sat on the bed.

"How do you not have any pajamas?" Allira kneeled on the floor, not wanting to join him on the bed just yet.

"I'd never wear them." He shrugged and folded his arms.

"Then what do you wear to sleep?" She asked.

Bakugo lifted an eyebrow, his glance telling her his answer without words.

"Oohh..." Allira understood what he was hinting towards.

The level of embarrassment Allira felt tripled as she didn't move from her stop on the floor. She fiddled with her necklace, the glow lighting up the dark room.

Bakugo could tell that she was really on edge, this was a huge step for her. Heck, it was a huge step for him too! But he wasn't freaking out.

Suddenly Takari exploded, her words started spilling out of her mouth.

"Sorry, I'm just really nervous. I've never shared a room with anyone before. I've never shared a bed with someone before."

This was not a normal reaction for her, to ramble off and it took Bakugo by surprise. In fact, it reminded him a lot of Deku, how he would randomly start spouting nonsense.

"I don't know if I snore, or kick. I could be a violent sleep kicker! I apologize if I talk, or wake you up somehow. I might be a drooler, or-"

"Just get over here." Bakugo rolled his eyes and pat the blankets next to him.

Takari's eyes widened, her bottom lip trembling as she stood up quickly and rushed to him. She moved before she could second guess and took the physical leap into his arms.

Bakugo took hold of her the moment they made contact. His hands easily held her in place as she leaned on him for support.

"Let's just stay like this for tonight. We'll take things one step at a time." Bakugo traced his hand over her spine.

By his words he could feel Takari physically relax, her body sinking deeper into his hold.

"Thank you." Takari breathed in relief, thankful for his understanding.

Since she felt comfortable, Bakugo slowly leaned back and laid them down on the pillows. Carefully, he lifted the gray covers and pulled them over both of their legs. Once they were settled he pulled Takari closer to make sure they were comfortable.

They laid on top of eachother, Takari's head resting on his breast and his arms wrapped at the base of her back. His chin rested gently on the top of her head, as Takari's body pressed wonderfully upon his chest. She felt amazing, her entire weight covered him like a weighted blanket, but so much better.

This was the first time they had officially cuddled and Bakugo was immediately addicted. His love of physical touch was incredibly satisfied, for what felt the first time ever.

Allira breathed in slowly, absorbing the sweet caramel smell of him and his room. The scent floated in the air, on the bed sheets and in his clothes. Everything was Bakugo.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the moment. Everything felt calm, warm and peaceful. It was utter bliss, the feeling of his arms resting on her back and trail through her hair sweetly.

Her mind absently wondered about recipes involving caramel or burnt sugar. Desserts like creme brulee, salted caramel fudge bars, banana caramel pudding. Allira wanted to make it all.

Without moving a muscle the two stressed students fell into the best sleep of their lives. The first uninterrupted, non insomnia woken slumber either of them had in years.