Chapter 12 - Telling My Friends

Morning sunlight streamed through the thin curtains of Bakugo's dorm room, painting the walls in soft gold and orange hues. The air was quiet except for the faint hum of the heater and the occasional chirp of birds outside. On the floor, textbooks and notebooks were scattered across the rug, a sign of a long night spent studying—or at least, for one of them.

Bakugo had stayed awake the entire night. He wasn't sure why. It wasn't like he planned to, but after Yuuki had fallen asleep, he found himself unable to close his eyes. Maybe it was because of how easily she had fallen asleep here, in his room of all places. Or maybe it was the way her breathing had been so even and calm that it made everything else feel quieter, too. He leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, his usual scowl in place but his expression softer than usual as he stared at the small, sleeping figure across from him.

She'd barely moved all night, just occasionally shifting beneath the blanket he'd put around her. Her hair was slightly messy, strands of pink and brown spilling across her cheeks, and she looked so relaxed it made him... weirdly protective. He'd caught himself glaring at the window once when a bird landed on the sill too loudly, like even that was being too noisy around her.

Now, as morning light filled the room, Bakugo yawned quietly and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Tch. Unbelievable," he muttered under his breath. "Stayed up all damn night 'cause of her." He glanced down at her again. "She better appreciate it."

It was around then that Yuuki stirred. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she shifted beneath the blanket. Her eyelashes fluttered before her hazel eyes slowly blinked open. She blinked a few times, still groggy, until her gaze landed on the familiar walls... the black-and-orange posters, the cluttered desk, and the faint smell of smoke that hung in the air.

And then it hit her.

Her eyes went wide, and she sat up so fast that the blanket fell off her shoulders. "Wh—where—oh no—!" she gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as she looked around in panic. "I-I fell asleep here?! Oh no, no, no!"

Bakugo looked up from his spot by the wall, his usual unimpressed glare meeting her panicked expression. "Tch, took you long enough to wake up," he said gruffly, his voice raspy from staying up all night.

Yuuki's face went completely red. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—! Oh my gosh, I just—! I was supposed to go back to my room, and I fell asleep, and—"

"Relax, you're not dead," Bakugo interrupted, his tone half-annoyed, half-exhausted. "You conked out in the middle of a sentence. You were snorin', too."

Yuuki's face turned an even deeper shade of red, her hands waving frantically. "I-I was not!" she squeaked. "I don't snore!"

Bakugo smirked faintly, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Yeah? Could've fooled me. Sounded like a damn kitten purring."

If possible, her blush grew even brighter. She quickly grabbed her bag and stumbled to her feet. "I—I'm so sorry for—um—for falling asleep! I'll just—uh—go! Thank you for the blanket and everything! S-sorry!" she stammered out, bowing so fast it nearly made her lose balance.

Bakugo opened his mouth to say something—probably to tell her to stop apologizing or that she was being ridiculous—but before he could even form a word, Yuuki turned on her heel and bolted out the door, closing it behind her with a soft thud.

Silence filled the room again. Bakugo stared at the door for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he let out a deep sigh, running a hand through his messy blond hair.

"Tch... she's such a damn mess," he muttered under his breath, but his tone wasn't as sharp as usual. He leaned back against the wall again, staring at the blanket still rumpled on the floor. "Falls asleep in my room, freaks out, then runs off like a scared rabbit. Unreal."

He rubbed at his eyes, yawning again before smirking faintly to himself. "Whatever. Guess I'll let her off this time."

Then, in true Bakugo fashion, he added under his breath with a faint, tired grin, "Next time she crashes in my room, I'm makin' her do my laundry as payback."

•••

The morning at U.A. was already buzzing with energy, students filling the halls in a blur of chatter and movement, but Yuuki felt like she was walking through a dream—one that she wanted desperately to wake up from. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she hurried down the hallway, her soft sweater sleeves covering her trembling hands. She'd changed quickly before leaving her dorm, swapping her sleep clothes for a cute cream-colored blouse tucked into a pastel plaid skirt, along with her favorite white sneakers. Her honey-brown hair, still streaked with those faint pink highlights, was loosely tied into a side ponytail that bounced with each step, though the rest of her looked flustered and disoriented.

Her heart was racing so fast it almost drowned out the noise around her. She couldn't stop replaying what had happened in Bakugo's room over and over in her head. She'd fallen asleep—actually fallen asleep—in his room. Of all the things she could have done, that had to be the worst possible one. She'd woken up wrapped in his blanket, and he'd seen her like that, messy hair, drooling probably, completely defenseless. Just thinking about it made her bury her face in her sleeves as she walked.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no," she muttered under her breath, her voice trembling. "Why am I like this? I can't—I can't ever look at him again!"

She turned a corner, clutching her books to her chest like they were her shield, her eyes darting nervously around as if Bakugo might appear out of nowhere. Students were greeting each other cheerfully, laughing and chatting about the upcoming week, but Yuuki felt completely out of sync with all of it. Her mind was a storm of mortification and anxiety.

When she finally reached Aizawa's classroom, her palms were sweaty, and her chest felt tight. She took a deep breath before stepping inside, trying to compose herself—but the moment she spotted Ochaco Uraraka across the room, talking animatedly with Midoriya, all that effort crumbled in an instant.

"U-Uraraka!" Yuuki whimpered, her voice breaking slightly. She rushed across the room, nearly tripping over her own feet before softly tackling her friend into a hug.

Uraraka let out a small "oof" and laughed, catching her balance. "Whoa, Yuuki! Good morning! What's wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost."

Yuuki pressed her face into Uraraka's shoulder, her words muffled and shaky. "I-I fell asleep in Bakugo's room!" she squeaked out, her voice cracking halfway through.

Midoriya, who had been mid-sentence, froze mid-word, his green eyes going wide. "W-wait—you what?!"

Uraraka blinked, her mouth falling open before she slowly laughed in disbelief. "Hold on, hold on, what do you mean you fell asleep in Bakugo's room?!"

Yuuki lifted her head, and to Uraraka's shock, her hazel eyes were glossy with tears. Her lower lip quivered as she tried to explain, but the words kept getting stuck in her throat. "I-I didn't mean to! I was just—w-we were studying! And then I—I must've gotten tired and—"

"Oh no, Yuuki," Uraraka said softly, resting her hands on the girl's shoulders, trying to calm her down. "Hey, it's okay, don't cry, it's not that bad—"

"It is bad!" Yuuki whimpered, tears spilling down her cheeks as her voice grew more frantic. "I-I woke up this morning and he was right there and—and I ran out of his room like a crazy person! He must think I'm so weird, Uraraka, I can't—" She hiccupped mid-sentence, her hands fidgeting with the ends of her sleeves as she struggled to catch her breath.

Uraraka gave her a sympathetic smile, glancing awkwardly at Midoriya, who looked like he was about to combust from secondhand embarrassment. "O-oh wow, that's... uh, that's definitely something," Uraraka said, trying not to laugh at the situation. "But hey, it's not as bad as you think, okay? Maybe he didn't even care."

Yuuki sniffled, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "He—he saw me sleeping, Uraraka! With his blanket! And he said I—I was snoring like a kitten!"

Midoriya covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing, but a snort escaped anyway. "He actually said that?"

"Yes!" Yuuki squeaked, glaring weakly at him through her tears. "A-and I didn't even snore!"

Uraraka gently rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. "Okay, okay, deep breaths, Yuuki. It's gonna be fine. You know Bakugo—he's loud, sure, but I bet he doesn't even think it's a big deal. He probably forgot already."

Yuuki shook her head miserably. "N-no, he didn't forget. He probably thinks I'm a baby who can't even stay awake for a study session."

"Aw, Yuuki," Uraraka said softly, hugging her tighter. "You're too hard on yourself. It's honestly kind of cute. If anything, he probably thought it was funny."

Yuuki blinked up at her with teary eyes, hiccupping. "You think so?"

Uraraka smiled warmly, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. "Yeah. And if not... well, it's Bakugo. He's impossible to read. But don't worry—he's not gonna blow you up or anything."

Midoriya scratched the back of his neck, trying to offer a reassuring grin. "Yeah, Yuuki. Honestly, he's probably not as mad as you think. You know him—he yells at everyone the same way."

Yuuki sniffled again, finally managing a tiny, shaky smile. "O-okay... maybe you're right."

"Of course I am," Uraraka said cheerfully, ruffling her hair. "Now, let's dry those tears before Aizawa gets here and thinks Bakugo made you cry."

Yuuki let out a weak giggle at that, her cheeks still pink but her heart feeling a little lighter. Even though she was still embarrassed beyond belief, having Uraraka and Midoriya there made it a little easier to breathe.