Chapter 3!
Im trying to stay consistent as we go! 3 Leave a follow and a comment! Im fueled by your words!
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They were all released to their rooms and went along to their normal night time routine after the last team had came and went. Alice had worked on her current homework in her room, the door open to allow anyone to come in and chat. Uraraka had come in to read, enjoying the beanbag chair as she relaxed to the rich herb smell in her friends room. It was a weird feeling. Alice had only been around for a day or so and here she was hanging with the girl like they had been friends their entire life. It was so easy to just... relax together.
"Hey! Before it gets too late. Did you wanna go to Recovery Girl's office?" Kirishima poked his head in before leaning on the door frame. "I kinda forgot up until now. I was starving after today's activity." He grinned, his cheeks tinting. "Bakugo's gotta go anyway, so I figured it'd be fine to ask you."
Alice glanced at Uraraka and nodded, "That'll be fine. I gotta get something from Recovery girl anyway- or else I wont be able to sleep again." She ran her hand through her hair and stood. "You can stay here if you want. I wont be long." She smiled to Uraraka who nodded.
"I might go work out for a bit tonight. So I can sleep later tomorrow morning. Ill close your door before I leave. I just gotta finish this page." Uraraka smiled before she went back to reading.
Alice grabbed a jacket and threw it on before following after Kirishima. She didnt change from her relaxing wear, which left her in a purple and black thick stripped tank top and a pair of black sweatpants. She felt so much better today, less anxious. The guys had taking a shining to her right away. She got a long with Kirishima and Kaminari, Uraraka of course, and had even gotten to have a conversation with Todoroki before they had parted ways back to class.
"You REALLY had to bring Support, Shitty Hair?" Bakugo had his hands in his pockets. His signature black shirt and sweatpants wrinkled from just throwing them on after his shower.
"Yeah, Bakubro. She has to go to Recovery girl anyway and doesnt know how to get there. I figured it'd be the polite thing to do and invite her." Bakugo snorted at the comment before they headed towards Recovery girl's office.
"My fucking hands hurt after that Shitty Deku grabbed me." Bakugo flexed his hands as they walked, irritation on his face. Deku had grabbed the male's wrist before an explosion went off, directing it above them. He'd fell for the same trick twice and it had only set him off. Deku had gotten good enough to lay his hands on him.
"That was a pretty good move tho." Alice tried to respond to him, looking at Kirishima for support. "Youll have to keep it in mind for later." She tried to be supportive, but the male wasnt having it.
"I used to be stronger than him, but hes fucking catching up. Its an insult is what it is. Ill just have to fucking push harder." Bakugo groaned, setting small explosions off in his hands, looking more and more irritated as they walked.
"Alice has a point Bakubro. That was a pretty neat move to shoot an explosion above you." Kirishima tried to side with the girl. Bakugo was unnaturally mean to everyone unless he respected them. Alice was just at the forefront due to her being new.
"You think Im stupid enough not to know to blast over me?" Bakugo stopped to give him a questioning look before he continued to walking.
"No no, it's not th-" Alice went to speak, but Bakugo cut her off.
"Dont fucking try to pretend you know me, Support. You're only here because Shitty hair likes you for some reason."
Alice blinked in surprise and glanced at Kirishima who just shrugged at her. She fell instep next to the redhead, growing quiet as they walked. She didnt know how to even approach the angry teen.
"Why the fuck are you coming with us anyway?" Bakugo cut through the silence of their shoes on the gravel path.
"I have to get sleeping Medication from Recovery girl." Alice shifted uncomfortably. She didnt like to talk about her sleeping issues.
"You cant fucking sleep? Why?" He turned to look at her, his red gaze was hard. He wasnt asking to be polite or to have empathy. He just couldnt understand. Who the fuck had trouble sleeping? Why?
"Nightmares." Alice tried not to look at him, but there was a moment where his gaze softened slightly. He knew about nightmares. He'd been having them lately after getting kidnapped by the sludge monster, but they never impacted his sleeping.
"What the fuck would cause you to have nightmares in Canada?" Bakugo rolled his eyes and started walking, but Alice didnt follow along right away. She kept her head down, which made Kirishima look at her nervously. For a brief moment, she had looked angry, but it was gone in an instant.
"He's in a mood. Dont worry about him." Kirishima tried to cheer the girl up, his smile soft. Alice glanced up at him and matched his smile. She knew that Kirishima was trying.
Recovery girl was seated at her desk when the group walked in. She glanced up and rotated around to meet them, her smile wide. "Afternoon Kids, what brings you guys by?"
Bakugo walked over and shoved his hands into her face, "My hands got damaged during the last training. Can you take a look at them?" He grumbled as she nodded and looked over his hands, giving the back of his hands a small peck to take the pain away. He grunted something of a "thank you" and went to stand near the door. Alice was a bit more polite in her approach.
"I know that my medication hasnt been approved through customs yet, but do you have anything that could help me sleep?" Alice rubbed her arm, looking at the older woman with a faint smile.
Recovery girl's smile vanished for a moment, "Sadly- nothing strong enough that isnt a sedative- my dear." Alice nodded almost knowingly, she ran a hand through her hair.
"Okay. Do you have any idea when they will clear?" She looked hopeful, desperate. Kirishima's brows furrowed. How bad were these nightmares that the girl had to have special medication?
"Later this week is all we know. We can try a sedative if it comes down to it. Okay?" Recover girl smiled and stood to go to a cabinet- opening it to take an injection out for the girl. The older woman put it in a small bag and handed it over. "If you do end up needing more, just come and get me, okay?" She patted Alice's hands before heading with them to the door.
"I will. Thank you Ma'am." Alice sighed dejectedly and they headed back towards their dorms, leaving a hanging silence in the air.
Kirishima was the first to speak, "Has this happened before?" He asked, looking down at Alice with a worried expression. He wanted to help, but he didnt know how.
Alice shrugged, "Yeah. Itll be fine. Ill ask to go into town tomorrow or ask WildSpire if she can get me some energy drinks." She groaned. "Its gonna be a long week."
Bakugo had been quiet. He had nightmares, but never seen it actually effect someone enough to where even a sedative didnt work. "Why doesnt the sedative work?" He asked after a moment of silence. He wasnt yelling and didnt sound angry, just curious. Kirishima shot him a look, but didnt say anything. For once, Bakugo wasnt looking for a fight.
"It works on me, but doesnt work on Chess." She motioned to the cat trailing behind them and shrugged. Alice was too tired to deal with this. "So unlike Tokoyami's Dark Shadow- Chess' whole goal is to protect me. He responds off my emotions and state of mind. If I have a nightmare that causes me to panic or feel fear. He can react because I wont. Even if he doesnt want to- he doesnt know where the threat is or how to help. He can become dangerous if the nightmares get bad enough."
Bakugo was quiet for a moment, watching the girl and the cat as they walked. He didnt get it. How could something so small be a threat? It was just a cat right? Right?
"I used to sleep with the lights on at home, but with a new environment. My body is in fight or flight. If I wake up somewhere Im not used to from a bad dream." She glanced over, meeting Bakugo's gaze. "I cant control him. I cant make him stop. I just have to calm down and hope for the best."
Kirishima frowned again and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "Well if it gets super bad. You let us know, we'll stay up and keep you company." He grinned and gave her a light squeeze, which Alice cracked a smile at him in response.
"I wont, but good effort shitty hair." Bakugo responded and shrugged as they got back to the dorms, heading back inside to get ready for bed. It left the pair outside alone and Alice just sighed.
"He's like a cactus, isnt he?" She looked up at Kirishima with a tired smile. "Always angry and prickily."
Kirishima laughed along with her, "Yeah. He is." The male's smile vanished and he straightened up, looking down at her with concern. "If I might ask, what happened to make your nightmares so bad? You dont have to tell me. I completely get it. Im just trying to understand. I dont get nightmares that bad." Alice was quiet for a long moment. How did she explain this to someone who didnt know her? Who didnt understand the real reason she left.
"It's hard to explain." Alice stared and looked up at him with a pained expression. Every Hero had some sort of story. They always did. Hers had started because of her mother. Her father. Heroes in general. "I really cant talk about it right now, but eventually. Ya know?" She looked up at him with a pleading expression, she wanted to tell him, but it wasnt the right time. It would never be the right time.
"Its okay, you dont have to say anything." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder again and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Just know Im right across the hall to you. Second door on the right from the elevator."
The pair headed in, getting some questioning looks from the group that was sitting on the couches relaxing. Alice had gave a friendly nod before heading towards the elevator, almost crashing into a startled Mineta who had just gotten back from grabbing a late night snack. The purple haired male jumped back, ready to scold the person he bumped into when his gaze locked on the startled girl above him. She looked alarmed, not really sure how to respond to the shorter boy. Everyone had been keeping them apart. For good reason. She'd only had brief interactions and after just having an emotional roller coaster of a walk to the infirmary. She was not prepared. "Who is the BEAUTIFUL goddess I just bumped into." He jumped to his feet, giving a bow to her. He couldnt have been taller that 4 foot. "How rude of me." He straightened and ran his hand over the four "balls" that shaped his hair. "My name is Minoru Mineta, I dont think we got the pleasure to officially meet. Who might you be?" He mentally could have slapped himself for not getting to meet her before. She wasnt as filled out as Momo, but she was pretty. The freckles were just the icing on the cake.
"Not talking to you is who she is gonna be." Mina appeared a few moment's later. The pink skinned girl linked her arm with Alice, who looked downright confused by the whole interaction. She had opened and closed her mouth, unable to talk before Mina took over. "First, this is Alice. Alice is a Support student staying with us. You know this already. Second, you are not to talk to her or put your grubby little hands on her. Got it?"
Mineta narrowed his eyes at Mina before dusting himself off. "Well, Then. Why is she here instead of in a support dorm? Not that Im complaining at all. Just curious." The male's lisp was more prominent now that Alice wasnt in panic mode.
"Im not support support." Alice began, which the male's gaze widened. Her voice matched her appearance- that was for sure. "I take support classes in the morning to help catch up my general studies and then go on an independent study for quirk training after lunch."
"Ohhh. Thats neat. If you ever need help getting caught up. You let me know." He gave her a wink and darted out of Mina's way before she slapped him.
The female took hold of Alice's shoulders and held her in place. "Do not talk to him. Do not look in his general direction. If he talks to you. You let me know, got it?" All Alice could do is nod in response.
"Good." she let the girl go and eyed Mineta as Alice hesitantly made her way to the elevator. This whole night had turned into something she really wanted to just get passed.
Per her first nights routine, she had gone down stairs to make a nest and settled into getting her work done once everyone had gone to sleep. Kirishima checked on her before he went back up stairs, leaving the girl to her own devices. She ended up passing out on her notes, sleeping for a few hours until she heard the familiar ding of the elevator.
Bakugo frowned once he saw her, staring at her with a mildly annoyed expression. "You are up again?" He asked, sauntering over to her instead of going to shower right away.
"Yeah. Got a lot done, but I did sleep for a few hours." She rubbed her face and let her head fall back, a soft groan escaping her lips. "I dozed off sometime last night."
Bakugo stared at her for a long moment, "About fucking time." he grumbled, his gaze finally snapping to Chess, who had stretched and was now watching Bakugo. "The fuck is up with your cat? He stares a lot."
"Cat's kinda do that. He likes to observe people." Alice mused faintly as Bakugo made his way around the couch to pick up some of her notes. She opened her mouth to object, but the male just turned away from her to read.
"Well its annoying, tell him to stop."
"I dont tell him to do anything. He sort of just does what he wants."
"Thats fucking creepy."
"You know what, it kinda is." Alice laughed to herself, which got a weird look from Bakugo. He sighed and handed her the paper.
"Not so fucking useless today. You actually spelled everything correctly this time around."
"Was that a compliment?" Alice rose a brow and the male looked absolutely disgusted.
"No. It wasnt." He turned on his heel and headed towards the showers, leaving Alice to sit alone with her thought again.
Alice laughed to herself, a faint grin on her lips. Bakugo wasnt all that bad when it was just him. Normally it was when he was in a large group was when he got irritable and yelled a lot. She ran her hand down Chess' back, going back to her work.
The girl's routine stayed the same for the next two weeks. She'd go to classes in the morning, do some work with WildSpire in the afternoon, and then go home and work a bit on her homework at night. She'd work until Bakugo came downstairs to get ready for the day and then try to get some sort of sleep before repeating the process all over again.
She didn't get her medication until the night before her provisional license test. Which wasnt the most ideal, but she was glad to sleep hard the night before. Alice woke up later then normal, making her way downstairs to grab something to eat before she headed to the gym. She had gotten caught up with her work a few days before, leaving her open to put something else in place of it. She spent a lot of time at night just working out or wandering around campus. Aizawa had given her permission as long as she didnt wander to far.
Alice grabbed her gym clothes and headed downstairs. She was up later than normal, but after weeks of not sleeping- she definitely was fine with it. Chess wandered down after her, slipping into her shadows as she waited for the elevator. "Mornin' Alice!" Uraraka appeared next to her, her own gym clothes over her shoulder. "Going to work out?"
"Yeah, I have my provisional license exam later this afternoon with Gang Orca. He does the training for anyone who has to take the remedial classes, but if I can pass his test. He doesnt think that Ill have to take the classes." Alice stepped into the elevator, holding it for Uraraka. "Wanna work out together? I need to practice a few things." Alice smiled to the taller girl. She had gotten a lot closer to Uraraka over the past two weeks. The girl didnt mind just hanging out in her room as she studied or painted.
"Of course I would." Uraraka gently nudged the girl and they both grinned. Uraraka hadnt been this close to someone since elementary school, but with Alice it was such a natural thing. They just clicked, which is something she was grateful for. Uraraka hadnt really "clicked" with anyone here. She had friends, yeah- but nothing where she felt she could just... relax like this. The girl wasnt afraid of touching or being close to her. They could hold hands and Alice wouldnt say a word. Wouldnt judge her. "Is WildSpire ever gonna let you show off your quirk?"
Alice groaned as the elevator clicked open. Some of the other students looked up from what they were doing and waved as they headed to the showers to get changed. "Ive been itching. All Ive been doing is watching you guys practice, every single day. I can literally count the seconds it takes Denki to piss Bakugo off from the moment he opens his mouth or how long it takes Iida to fly off the handle to Bakugo's swearing. Its like a constant reminder that you guys are a league above me." Alice had been writing in a journal about each students quirks and fighting styles. She had pages upon pages for each student she worked with. It was hard not to after almost 2 weeks of observing. Wildspire had explained that it would help in the long run, even if she didnt work with those students side by side. Having a large exposure to various quirks would put her at an advantage once she hit the field.
"WildSpire is the most dramatic person I know. My Quirk isnt /that/ special. So Chess can turn into different things. Great, but Tokoyami and I have a similar Quirk- so you guys already know how I work." Alice rolled her eyes as they headed into the bathrooms and got to changing. They set their lockers side by side so it was easier to talk. "I have 0 idea what she is planning."
"Maybe its a secret," Uraraka tossed her shirt into the locker and grinned. "Maybe she has something big planned."
"Who knows. Ive known Wildspire since I was little, she's literally one of the most dramatic people I know. She always has something big planned."
They headed down to the gym where a few students were working out. Alice had changed into a pair of black workout pants and a tank top. Uraraka was in something similar, only her t-shirt was a faded pastel pink. They started with some brief cardio before slipping into something a bit harder. Soon they were at each other's throats with hand to hand combat. Alice wasnt the quickest on her feet, but she was hitting harder and harder with each punch. Which caused Uraraka to have to brace for upcoming attacks before she could counter. It got some of the other Gym members watching them, their own training paused to watch the two girls whale on each other. Tokoyami had stopped his cardio, watching the two girls with a genuinely curious expression while Kirishima had gone off to the side to cheer them on. Both girl's were lost in their own world, dodging and countering each other almost fluidly. Alice had learned how Uraraka's training had gone at Gunhead's agency and had picked up on it. She hadnt just been watching the student's practice. She'd been taking notes and adding that into her own line of attacks.
The girl's continued for a bit before breaking apart. They werent fighting to beat each other, but to help each other's stamina increase. Uraraka tossed Alice a water bottle and the girl's met in the middle to talk. "That was fantastic!" Kirishima almost dove between them, his arms over each of their shoulders. "The attacks and counters! That was the manliest display of power I have seen in awhile." He stood straighter, his grin wide.
"Thanks!" Alice took a long drink of her water before she responded. "Ive been watching you guys. I like working on stamina as much as I like to get stronger. It just takes time."
"You hit hard too." Uraraka puffed her cheeks and rubbed her arm. "Im gonna have a few new bruises. Ill have to see recovery girl later. I didnt expect you to hit as hard as you do."
Alice felt her cheeks redden, "Yeah. I've been doing lot of strength work. Im more built for defense than offense." She rubbed the back of her head. Her quirk made things much more difficult. She hit harder and could fight at a distance, but WildSpire was adamant she didnt share that information until later.
"Defense can be the best offense." Kirishima chirped in, releasing the girls as he went to grab his discarded towel from his machine. "Dont you have your test today?"
"Yeah. Its after lunch. Im nervous." She rubbed her arms, looking nervous. Alice wasnt prepared. Even if she tried to pretend she was.
"If you fucking act nervous all you will be is nervous." Bakugo had approached the group with his arms crossed, he snorted and glared at Alice. "Gang Orca doesnt back down, so you better be prepared for a fight. If he even lets you fight him." He looked Alice over, he'd never seen the girl at the Gym. It only pissed him off. How could she get toned from not working out? He'd only seen her working on her homework in the main room. No workouts, nothing.
"Im determined. I wont back down unless I absolutely have to." Alice shrugged. "Doesnt keep me from being nervous though. Everyone gets nervous."
"Well I fucking dont. Its all about being confident in what you can do." Bakugo growled and pushed on ahead, slamming the door behind him.
"He's so confusing." Alice groaned softly. "I dont know if he likes me or hates me anymore." She grabbed her own towel to wipe off her face.
"He totally doesnt hate you." Kirishima said with a bright smile. "If he did, he wouldnt talk to you and he hasnt called you an "Extra" in like... a week?" The male nudged her arm. "Maybe more?"
"That is fair." Uraraka said with a laugh. "He definitely respects you. Heck, he still calls me an Extra and we fought at the Sports festival."
Alice rose a brow at Uraraka, she didnt know why he was more polite to her. She had talked to him more lately and he had made an effort to assist her in her studies, but she hadnt done anything for him aside from doing his weekly chores for him. He had been surprised, but only snorted a 'thanks' before wandering off. Actually, it was around that time that he had stopped calling her an extra. "Huh, you got a point. I did his chores for him last week because I was awake and bored." She shrugged. "Maybe he respects that?"
Kirishima furrowed his brows, "Maybe..." He looked ahead at the blonde as they headed out into the hallway. Bakugo was grumbling to himself with his hands in his pockets. Bakugo was always a mystery. The guy rarely respected anyone, he had gotten the respect from constantly invading Bakugo's space and almost forcing a friendship on him. Alice didnt seem like the girl to do that. "Ill catch ya guys later." He waved to the girls and jogged to catch up with the hotheaded blonde.
"Hey, you took off quick. Whats up BakuBro?" Kirishima fell in step beside him as they made their way out into the main gathering area.
"Nothing's wrong, why would something be wrong?" Bakugo snapped back at him, a low growl in his throat. The fuck was shitty hair getting on about? He was fine.
Kirishima held up his hands, "I was just checking, something seemed off earlier. You arent the motivational type and seemed kinda pissed that Alice was nervous."
"Well I am pissed! How she got into our dorm without having to become a hero? Its disgusting. She's a support student, she should be in the support dorms. Fuck, she hasnt even worked out since she got here, but shes still able to take on that floaty bitch. Its Bullshit! No wonder she's nervous! She has zero training and expects to just get her license today?" Bakugo gritted his teeth, small explosions popping up in his palms. He didnt know why he was so angry about all this. Alice technically didnt do anything to him. She was actually fairly polite, which only pissed him off more. He didnt know why it pissed him off either. He was frustrated and the girl only made it worse.
Kirishima frowned as they walked towards the showers and decided not to push it. He could tell something was up with Bakugo. The only person that really got him riled up was Deku for obvious reasons. He was kind of curious on how the male thought of her. "Well, she doesnt seem that bad, right? She could be worse."
"Could be? She cant fucking spell anything in Japanese, she was spelling things wrong constantly in her fucking Japanese homework. You live in Japan and cant even spell the fucking language." He snorted. Bakugo whipped open his locker and snagged his clothes. "I think the only class she wasnt failing was Math, which only pisses me off. Who the fuck is good at math of all things?"
"Arent you good at math tho?" Kirishima sighed softly. So the whole possible crush was a no go. Maybe Bakugo just respected her drive? He didnt think Alice was the boy's type anyway. She definitely got along a lot better with Tokoyami.
Which... Speaking of bird boy himself...
"Yo! Tokoyami! What do you think of Alice?" He called the bird boy out as the male entered the locker room. Wonderful timing. Tokoyami froze, his face turning a dark red under his mass of feathers.
"She's nice." He cleared his throat, heading to his locker. The male didnt make eye contact with Kirishima, which only made the redhead grin wider.
"Just nice?" Kirishima turned his attention to Tokoyami as the male fumbled with his locker. "Thats it? Nothing else. No other thoughts?" Tokoyami shook his head and grabbed his clothes, he wasnt going to fall for Kirishima's probing. "Come on, you GOTTA have some thoughts. She has the same interests as you, shes super into the dark stuff, and she-"
"We are just good friends." Tokoyami cut the male off with a curt response. "She is a wonderful human being and a pleasure to be around. What else do you want me to say?"
"I dunno, something? Do you think she's cute? Like what's been going on in your head? Give me something here!"
Another sigh escaped the bird's mouth and he turned to stare at Kirishima. "She's incredibly pretty. She is my type-"
"Dude! You need to ask he-"
"Let me finish! She's my type, but I made an oath not to get involved with someone while I was at this school, No distractions." Tokoyami gritted his teeth. "Id love to ask her out, but I want to focus on being something here. The gods themselves made this girl with my likeness. We get along so well, but I have to remind myself that dating is not my purpose here."
Kirishima's smile faded and he frowned. "Im sorry, man. I didnt mean to push. I had no idea."
"I know. Ive been sitting on it for awhile. I didnt want to admit it, but I realized it the moment we met. Shes gorgeous and incredibly smart. She cares deeply for other people and every time I learn something new about her- it makes it harder and harder for me to follow through with my oath." Tokoyami closed his locker door and glanced back to Kirishima. "Just dont tell her. Itll make it even harder than it already is."
Kirishima nodded slowly and closed his locker door, heading towards the showers to get ready for school. Man, that had went a bit worse than he thought. He liked Alice and figured both her and Tokoyami would be a cute couple- now he just felt bad for even torturing the other boy even more. He sighed softly, letting the water run over him. He was actually kind of surprised that Bakugo had been so quiet about the whole thing. Normally the blonde was making snappy comments or interjecting himself into the conversation, but he was quiet. Maybe he was getting sick? Kirishima sighed, roughly washing his face. "Hopefully the day goes better than the morning did."