Summary: Shiori (OC) is struggling to sleep after the Kamino Incident. It turns out she's not the only one.Shiori rubbed her eyes to check the scene in front of her. She had stayed up late studying - and totally not avoiding her room - when Bakugo and Midoriya entered the dorms together around 2am. An unlikely duo, to be sure, but she quickly noticed they were covered in bandages and bruises.Late night fight.Honestly, she figured it was just a matter of time. After her and Bakugo's screaming match, the tension between them dissipated noticeably. Yet Bakugo remained on guard, an unnaturally oppressive aura continuously emanating from him like a shield.Whatever had happened, it seemed to help, she decided. Both Midoriya and Bakugo looked exhausted but also calmer than she had seen either in weeks.Of course, this newfound amiability still contained a fair level of awkwardness. The pair avoided Shiori's questioning glance and stood at arms length from each other in silence until Midoriya spoke."I'm…gonna get some sleep. I'll…see you tomorrow?" Bakugo gave him half a nod, and Midoriya set off for the stairs. Definitely odd. No snarky response, no angry remark?"The hell you doin' up so late, Sheep Hair?" There was a bit of the Bakugo she knew. Half-hearted and lacking bite, but at least it was an attempt.Shiori shrugged, not bothering to come up with a lie. Bakugo didn't seem to care that much either, slumping into one of the couches, his head falling into his hands. His breathing was heavy and full, as if he had been holding it for a long time and just now reopened his airways.The light in the common room was intentionally dim but showed enough for Shiori to look the blond over. His face and arms were sloppily covered in bandages, barely covering the angry scrapes beneath. Shiori thought briefly to tease him, but instead went over to sit next to him, her legs on the backrest and her head hanging off of the seat cushion.She let the silence grow between them like a fog, deciding to let him be the first to speak. After a couple of these dances, she knew that prying for information would just cause Bakugo to lash out and clam up. Once a couple minutes passed without change, however, she regretted not grabbing her coursebook. It might have been boring-as-balls calculus, but it was better than counting the tiles on the ceiling to pass the time yawning between them.When Bakugo spoke, his voice was hoarse and dry. "Why are you here?" Not really what he was asking, so she decided to make him work for it."Why were you and Midoriya fighting past curfew?" Shiori threw back casually, and Bakugo paused."Why are you staying here?" He barely clarified, gesturing lazily at her current position next to him.Shiori shrugged. "I could go if you wanted.""You don't have to. It's a free space." He tried to stay casual but made a mistake by replying so quickly. That familiar electricity was back in the air, that silent don't. Don't leave me."You're shit at first aid, you know. Good thing you didn't go into the medical field." Shiori changed the subject before the angry teen snapped from the tension."I didn't ask for your assessment, Nerd."Shiori rolled her eyes, shifting her weight in her hips to flip off of the couch. Slowly, so he knew she wasn't abandoning him. "I'm figuring if you did it, you've been banned from using Recovery Girl to help." No response. Which probably meant she was right. "You know, if you don't cover those scrapes right, they'll get infected and hurt like a bitch." She stood and walked over to her bags, pulling out her first aid kit. "C'mere."Bakugo didn't respond, but with his head still in his hands, she couldn't be sure if he was mulling it over or just being stubborn.She shrugged, changing tactics midstep. "If you wanna think it over, I can check on Midoriya. He can't afford another serious injury."Bakugo's head shot up before she could finish her sentence properly, and Shiori had to hide a grin. He was so predictable. "That fucking Nerd has Round Face and Frog Face and a whole frickin' parade of nerds to take care of him if he needs it! Take care of me instead!"Their eyes met for what felt like ages, wide with realization of what he just said out loud crashed around them. Even though she intentionally pushed his buttons, she hadn't expected him to say something like that. Bakugo's face flushed red hot before he clamped his hand over his face and shut his eyes hard as if he was trying to shut the world out.Shiori stared after him for a moment, her urge to make fun of the boy in front of her draining quickly. She saw once again the boy from the convenience store, the one that tried to hide his fear of weakness with swearing and shouting. Without a word, she walked back to the couch and sat next to him slowly, sitting on one leg to turn to Bakugo. His eyes flew open in surprise and his hand dropped. Shiori cocked her head and eyes to said hand."How 'bout I start here." She held out hers and waited. It was barely a question, but not so demanding that he would feel like he was being ordered around. He still had the option to say no. To walk away and pretend like he didn't say anything.To her surprise, Bakugo conceded, laying his hand in hers gingerly like a skittish animal. She took it gently but firmly and began to pull off his bandages slowly. She daren't move too quickly and scare him off.Shiori had touched him before. Grabbed his taut muscles when they fought at the Sports Festival and sparred during training. Leaned on him for support during study sessions, even felt his plush hair a couple times for the expressed purpose of embarrassing him.This was different, though, strangely intimate despite the fact that neither dared catch each other's eye. How had she not noticed how huge his hands were compared to hers, how rough and calloused and covered in small scars?"Well you're too calm to have lost," Shiori said suddenly, her eyes fixed on his wounds as she diligently cleaned out the gravel bits. "You finally get that stick out of your ass?"Bakugo looked up at her in confusion. Maybe he didn't notice how his brows were unfurrowed for the first time in what felt like weeks or the way his lips had turned up gently at the edges.He cleared his throat and looked away before replying. "Yeah I kicked his whiny ass. Shouldn't be a surprise, you know no one can beat me." He sounded almost cocky again and Shiori couldn't help but break out into a sharp smirk. She turned his jaw slightly with the tips of her fingers to inspect his face. Just a couple of blossoming bruises.This close to him, Bakugo's scent flooded her senses, that familiar toasted caramel. An asshole like him had no business smelling so delicious. At her current angle above him to get a good look in the light, she could also see down his shirt to his heavily muscled chest. Since when was he so….distracting? Shiori sucked in some air and fell back into an old defense mechanism to avoid getting lost in her thoughts."Of course not. Can't be an attention whore if you're getting your ass kicked." It felt comfortable enough to joke again, but when she decided to look up she found Bakugo staring straight at her. His crimson eyes were intense, serious, burning into her skin."Damn straight. I want all eyes on me." The comment felt heavier than the words, they were drenched in meaning. Just like at the Sports Festival. You better be watching me the whole time.Her first instinct was to look away, to shrink and escape as if it was her father's contemptuous glare. Only Bakugo's weren't filled with contempt. They were filled with…well she wasn't sure. But she was sure he was begging for her to return his energy. She decided she wouldn't break first; wouldn't let him down. She would stay as long as he needed."I know, Dandelion." The air was brimming with energy all over again, so thick she could taste it on her tongue. She let it hang in between them, waiting. But he just continued to stare, his eyes flicking up and down in a way that felt like she was being x-rayed.Overcome with the self-conscious awareness that all her features were being examined in great detail, she broke, just a little. "So…how bad's your punishment from Aizawa?""Four days house arrest." Bakugo sighed with exhaustion, finally looking away first. The energy faded quickly with the new topic. "And cleaning duty.""Hmm. It'll be fun to see you playing the maid. Midoriya get as bad? Or was he given slack for losing?"Bakugo snorted in response. "Three days. I don't care what a bunch of extras say about it. It'll be a bitch trying to catch up on missed classes though.""Afraid you'll fall in rank in just a couple days? I thought you were the best." Shiori breathed easy when she saw the corner of his lips curl back into a cocky smirk. "How about I actually take notes for once, for you? Kirishima and your little gang of friends won't be super helpful to ask for help.""They're not my friends." It was an automatic response, but she noticed how he didn't automatically shut down her offer to help again."Well, you're all set." Shiori stated, looking Bakugo with satisfaction in her work. Of course, to be thorough, she would have to ask him to take his shirt off, but just the thought of that made her ears burn. Besides, she didn't want to risk Aizawa catching them in such a…compromising position. She packed up her kit and shoved it into his arms. "You can keep this in case I…missed anything."As she stood to gather up her school bag and retreat to her room, however, Bakugo's heavy hand wrapped around her wrist. He was firm, stopping her effectively in her tracks, but not so rough that she was worried he'd hurt her. No, Bakugo would never hurt her outside of training, that much she was sure of.Shiori wasn't entirely sure what his intention was keeping her there, though. She turned towards him, tilting her head in a silent question."Kotomei…" He said her name slow and soft. It sounded so nice on his lips. She wondered how 'Shiori' would sound instead. "Thanks...or whatever."Before she could register his clumsy attempt at genuine gratitude, Bakugo dropped his hand back to his lap, his head hanging again, shoulders slumped forward and down, eyes trained to the floor. Shiori found her hand grabbing the top of his head, fluffing that soft ash blond hair of his with a bit of a giggle."Anytime, Dandelion." She replied and turned on the spot to go upstairs, damn her books. She wasn't bold enough to look back and see if he brushed the gesture off with his usual annoyance or if his cheeks were flushed that beautiful red.
That was the first night she managed to get a decent rest in her room. The first time she thought of it as safe, away from that grumpy boy that made her stomach flutter.
