Chapter Text

It doesn’t start out particularly remarkable, besides for the fact that it was the first time the two were ever alone together for an extended amount of time.

Just after dawn on a weekend morning, Tokoyami is awake and ready to enjoy a nice fresh brew of coffee, only to find that they are out of grounds.

Dark Shadow comes out just long enough to ask Tokoyami why he’s suddenly moody, but goes back inside when he doesn’t deem the lack of coffee an emergency, even if Tokoyami begs to differ.

Before he can decide what to do about the matter, he hears the sound of heavy footsteps make their way into the room, and is met with the sight of a stretching and yawning Bakugo before he rubs his bleary and puffy red eyes.

“You make any coffee yet?”

Tokoyami is surprised by the question, because although it is true that he’s usually the one to make the coffee (and even gets a fair share of compliments), he never expected Bakugo to remember that about him.

“Ah, no. I am afraid we are out.”

Bakugo frowns at the response, but he must still be groggy since his usual explosive responses are dampened and he seems almost… subdued?

Tokoyami suddenly feels concerned, and a part of him seems to understand that his classmate is indeed in need of the caffeinated liquid.

“Perhaps we could try the campus cafeteria? They should be open by now.”

Bakugo blinks at the suggestion, and Tokoyami feels himself relax when the blonde nods as he yawns again.

“Sure, not like I have anything better to do.”

His response is as gruff as ever, but somehow missing its usual bite.

Tokoyami is surprised when Bakugo waits for him to get changed out of his overnight sweats and plain hoodie and into jeans and a different hoodie, even while Bakugo remains in his lounge of gray sweats and a black tanktop as they head out into the early morning where it's early enough that they can still see dew on the tips of the grass and a chill in the air.

They're the only ones in the cafeteria, and the staff is barely putting out the food of the breakfast bar as he and Bakugo head to the coffee counter to make their drinks.

They hadn't talked on the way over, but Tokoyami thinks it would have been odder if they had.

Tokoyami breaks the silence when he suggests they might as well get food since they're already there, and Bakugo shrugs and mumbles something under his breath that Tokoyami doesn't quite catch, but it must be an affirmative as the blonde walks to the breakfast bar with coffee in hand and Tokoyami follows after.

When they get to the counter to pay, it seems Bakugo has forgotten his wallet if his loud cursing is anything to go by, and Tokoyami gives a sympathetic look to the lady behind the counter who is looking disapprovingly at his classmate.

Tokoyami doesn’t hesitate to step up and tell the lady he is paying for both and ignores the way Bakugo splutters and grumbles next to him.

“I don’t like being in someone's debt,” Bakugo continues to grumble, even as he follows him to one of the empty tables and sits across from him.

“You aren’t,” Tokoyami clarifies, and Bakugo’s frown only deepens but he doesn’t rebut him.

Tokoyami is sure is has to do with the reasons he has been almost constantly yawning all morning.

“Are you always up this early? I thought birds needed to sleep a lot to function properly,” he says instead.

Tokoyami is surprised that Bakugo is the one to initiate conversation, as well as his knowledge of birds which was indeed accurate as he chuckled.

“Thankfully, it appears I have not taken after an avian in that regard. I need as much sleep as any human, maybe even less, and simply enjoy waking up early.”

“How come?”

Tokoyami didn’t expect Bakugo to be so inquisitive, but he felt it important to encourage the unexpected behavior.

“It is the most peaceful at dawn… not just because everyone is still asleep, but because Dark Shadow is at his calmest. It is the time of the day when I can feel most at ease…”

Tokoyami was surprised by his honest response, since it was a part of himself that he had never shared with anyone. Then again… no one had ever asked him a question that called for such an answer.

Rather than respond, Bakugo only grunts, as if to acknowledge that he heard him.

Tokoyami doesn’t mind.

“What about you?” he asked, thinking it fair since Bakugo had asked first.

He didn’t have to wait long for a response.

“Couldn’t sleep. Got pissed off just tossing and turning, figured I might as well get up.”

Tokoyami thinks it fits what he knows of Bakugo's personality, and his lack of energy that morning.

“I see,” he replied.

The rest of the time it takes to finish their food is spent in silence again, but it was not necessarily unpleasant even though the two had never spent time together alone.

Then again, Tokoyami had always felt that there was a mutual understanding and respect between them, particularly after their match during the sports festival and again after the forest incident.

That afternoon, some members of their class go on a trip to the mall, but Tokoyami chooses to stay to study for an upcoming exam he feels woefully unprepared for.

As night approaches and he begins to feel Dark Shadow stir impatiently, he focuses on the textbook in front of him even more, which makes it easy for him to be startled when a plastic bag is suddenly dropped next to his textbook that causes him to jump as he looks up with wide eyes only to be met with the frowning face of Bakugo.

“I got these while we were out… to pay you back for breakfast. Your coffee tastes better than the cafeteria’s anyway.”

Bakugo doesn't wait for a response as he turns and walks away, hands stuffed in his pockets and grimace on his face as if saying the words had left a bad taste in his mouth.

Tokoyami watches his retreating back until he disappears around a corner before he reaches to peer into the contents of the bag, and indeed sees several bags of ground coffee. This no doubt cost more than what he paid for Bakugo’s breakfast, and he thinks that the reason Bakugo got multiple bags was because wasn’t sure what type of roast he liked.

Tokoyami is surprised by the consideration, and just as appreciative.

He also notices the brand he chose is not cheap, so the next time Bakugo gets lunch at the cafeteria, Tokoyami makes sure to pay for it, even if it means his explosive classmate is none too happy about it and makes a commotion for everyone to see.

When his friends ask him what that was about, Tokoyami just tells them it's an inside joke, which only seems to gain him even more looks of surprise and confusion.

Nothing much changes after that, except Bakugo seems to greet him more often as he nods his head in greeting when they pass each other by, as if he takes notice of the usually recluse teen now.

Sometimes he joins him on mornings when it's clear he's up early because he couldn't sleep again, and sometimes he’s already in the common area by the time Tokoyami gets there, and when that’s the case Tokoyami makes sure to brew his strongest grounds for them.

They don’t really talk except for the occasional comment or question, usually just minor things about what kind of coffee he made that day or about an assignment or exam or training exercise they did that comes to mind.

Still, Tokoyami feels he somehow knows more about Bakugo than he expected to.

Dark Shadow even seems to warm up to him, since until then he had never forgotten the events of the sports festival and was weary of the explosive boy, and it's when Dark Shadow joins their coffee mornings that conversation seems to flow more easily with his quirks more extroverted personality as he shamelessly asks all the questions Tokoyami never had the nerve to ask himself.

Bakugo doesn't seem to mind despite how embarrassed Dark Shadow sometimes makes Tokoyami feel with his lack of tact and shamelessness, but if Bakugo doesn't want to answer a question, he simply doesn't, and Tokoyami never pushes.

Tokoyami doesn’t remember when Bakugo starts choosing him as a partner during class assignments, but he doesn’t mind when they push their desks together to work. Tokoyami knows that he’s lucky to have one of the smartest people in their class as a partner, and he can use the help when it comes to their science and math classes, even when Bakugo chides him for not getting something he considers ‘common sense’ which is most definitely not the case in Tokoyami’s humble opinion.

It’s during one of those partner assignments that Bakugo takes notice of what Tokoyami had been reading instead of paying attention like he should have, and shamelessly reaches for the comic while Tokoyami is distracted by the actual assignment.

“What’s this?” he asks, and Tokoyami’s eyes widen as he sees Bakugo holding the comic by the corner carelessly.

“Careful! You’ll bend it!” Tokoyami hisses as he reaches for the comic, only for Bakugo to pull it out of his reach.

“Eh? Is it that important to you?” he asks gruffly as he eyes the bound pages and smirks mirthfully.

Tokoyami visibly shrinks into himself as he looks begrudgingly at Bakugo.  

“It’s one of my favorite anthologies...”

Bakugo blinks, and finally actually reads the print across the cover page Sporting the lower half of a grinning face.

“Twisted Dark? Seriously? You are such a type...”

"What is that supposed to mean?” Tokoyami asks, assignment forgotten as he gives Bakugo his full attention.

“I mean, this whole goth, prince of darkness thing you have going on. You don’t have to be defined by your quirk you know...”

Tokoyami frowns.

“Says the one who is as explosive as their quirk... what’s that saying? Pot calling the kettle black?”

Tokoyami feels accomplished at the way Bakugo tenses up and at having brought out that vein on his forehead that seems to throb with indignation.

“You little—”

Bakugo stops when he sees Ectoplasm walking over to check on their assignment, and hides the comic under his textbook, because as much as he wants to tease Tokoyami, he also doesn’t want to get him in trouble.

They let the subject drop and return to their assignment, and when it’s time to pack up for lunch, Bakugo returns the comic to Tokoyami, who takes it gratefully.

“Would... you like to read it?”

Bakugo blinks at the offer, not having expected it.

“Well, not this one, I still have to finish it. This is the latest issue... but I have all of them. You can read the first, and see if you like it... you know, so you don’t judge a book by its cover.”

Bakugo smirks at that.

“Fine, but it better be good...”

Tokoyami gives him the issue later that evening when they’re back in the dorms, suddenly nervous of what Bakugo will think of his taste in reading materials, particularly this series that happened to be a darker anthology.

Bakugo returns it to him two days later, a deep frown on his face as he places the bound pages on his desk as the class is getting ready to leave for lunch.

Tokoyami blinks as he looks up at him.

“You finished already?” he asks.

Bakugo’s frown deepens.

“Yeah...”

Tokoyami looks at the comic before back at his blonde classmate.

“What did you think?” he asks tentatively.

Bakugo’s frown deepens.

“It pissed me off...” he admits gruffly, and Tokoyami can’t help but chuckle.

“I’m not surprised... it is certainly not meant to be a happy collection... but that is why I enjoy it.”

Bakugo sat down backwards on the chair in front of him as he eyed him intensely, as if he were trying to peer into his very soul.

“Why the hell would you enjoy fucked up shit like that?”

Tokoyami would have a wry smile on his face if he was capable of it.

“Because... it is a good reminder that our lives are only one among billions... that there are people out there living those very tales while we are confined to our own. It is easy to think that what we see of the world is all there is to it... but it is not the case. Reading these comics reminds me of why I wish to be a hero... to make a difference in all lives, especially those living under harsh realities and conditions, why some people turn to evil means, and to be humble and not get caught up in the glamour of the job that we have made it out to be.”

Bakugo doesn’t answer, but he also doesn’t move to leave, and Tokoyami resists the urge to fidget as he focuses on carefully putting the comic book away.

“I read other kinds of comic books... but I do prefer the occult. Would you like to borrow another?” Tokoyami suggested before the silence could become uncomfortable.

Bakugo’s gaze is still intense as he continues to look back at him, and Tokoyami has to resist the urge to fidget once more.

Finally, Bakugo huffs as he looks away.

“Fine... but I want to choose this time.”

Tokoyami feels a bit relieved at the response, maybe even a little excited.

“Very well, feel free to take your pick from my collection in my room whenever you would like.”

Bakugo does that huff that Tokoyami has learned to recognize as understanding, before he starts getting up from the chair in the now empty room.

“So... lunch? My turn to pay.”

Tokoyami blinks, but nods as he also gets up.

Tokoyami doesn’t think twice to invite Bakugo to a new café that just opened a short walk from campus on one of their early weekend mornings. It was close enough that they didn’t need permission to go there, they just had to sign out before they left.

Tokoyami heard about it from Sato, who swore they had some of the best pastries he’d ever had, which was high praise coming from the Sugarman himself. But it was something else that Sato told him about the café that made Tokoyami ask Bakugo to go with him.

They were already walking to the café when Bakugo asked him what made this place so special that Tokoyami wanted to take him there.

“They have a spicy dessert menu,” Tokoyami said, pleased when Bakugo quirked an interested eyebrow at him.

“You’re shitting me… that’s a thing?”

One of the things that Tokoyami learned thanks to Dark Shadow’s questions was that Bakugo likes spicy food, which was why he thought it appropriate to show him a place with spicy dessert.

“It appears so,” Tokoyami replied, and takes notice of how Bakugo seems more alert and dare he say it… excited to reach the café.

Sato’s intel was correct, and Tokoyami can’t help but be amused as Bakugo takes in the spicy dessert options like an excited child who can’t decide what to get. It’s an endearing sight, one that Tokoyami never expected to witness from Lord Explosion Murder.

When it seems Bakugo still can’t make a decision, Tokoyami sympathetically steps in.

“We can come back another time to try something else…”

He thinks maybe the promise of another day will make choosing easier, but Bakugo only frowns, maybe even pouts? Surely not…

“Fine… choose for me.”

Tokoyami blinks at Bakugo’s request.

“Are you sure?” he asks.

Bakugo’s frown deepens.

“Yeah dammit, otherwise we’ll be here all day Bird Brain.”

“That’s a lot of pressure…” Tokoyami admits quietly.

Bakugo scoffs, before he smirks.

“Just get something you don’t mind sharing with me.”

The suggestion helps a little, and Tokoyami decided on the Angry Apple Pie, just because it seems fitting for someone like Bakugo.

“Are you trying to say something, punk?” Bakugo asks, but Tokoyami knows he’s just teasing despite the gruffness of his voice as he laughs.

“I think it speaks for itself, yes,” Tokoyami replies.

Nevertheless, the two place their orders, with Tokoyami paying since he was the one to invite the other, and considering their trend of ‘whose turn is it to pay’ that they’ve had ongoing for the past few weeks since Tokoyami got Bakugo’s breakfast, he’s pretty sure it’s his turn, even though he honestly doesn’t know anymore.

Tokoyami doesn’t actually expect Bakugo to share his slice pie with him, but Bakugo insists he have at least a bite since it’s actually really good, so Tokoyami concedes. He doesn’t think anything of the fact that they used the same fork.

Neither does Bakugo.

And the apple pie is definitely much better than he expected.

In the middle of eating and sipping their drinks, Bakugo’s phone is perpetually vibrating to the point Tokoyami can’t tell if it’s a phone call or continuous text messages, which go ignored by the explosive teen.

Tokoyami’s phone vibrates next, and he is a bit surprised to see a text message from Kirishima asking if Bakugo is with him.

“Ah… it seems Kirishima is looking for you,” he tells Bakugo, who looks annoyed at the comment.

“Damn Shitty Hair… he’s so annoying, can’t leave me alone for one minute.”

Tokoyami blinks, not having expected to become a middleman.

“Should I tell him where we are?”

Bakugo frowns.

“Nah… just tell him I’m hanging out with you today. He can bother someone else.”

Tokoyami isn’t sure how to politely word that into a response to their redhead classmate, and Bakugo seems to understand, because he grabs his phone and dials someone.

Kirishima picks up after the first ring, but Bakugo doesn’t let him speak as he yells into the phone.

“Don’t bother Tokoyami Shitty Hair! Find someone else to annoy today! Fuck off!”

Bakugo hangs up without waiting for a response.

“That was very rude,” Tokoyami comments.

Bakugo scoffs.

“Like I give a fuck.”

Tokoyami can’t help but chuckle, more so because he knows that Kirishima won’t take it personally and at least he knows that Bakugo is safe with another classmate and in no imminent danger like perhaps a part of him feared.

“Isn’t there a comic store near here?” Bakugo asks as he finishes his apple pie, and Tokoyami perks up.

“Uh… yes, there is.”

“Let’s go there next, I don’t feel like going back to campus yet.”

“Very well…”

They end up stopping at the park to read their recent comic hauls as they sit on the grass and lean against a large tree behind them next to each. Tokoyami can’t help but feel delighted to have one of his favorite pastimes to share with someone, and although they read mostly in silence, they sometimes lean over to show a particularly funny or interesting panel to the other as they comment on a cool character design or quote.

Much like Tokoyami expected, Bakugo tends to gravitate towards the action-packed comics, with bigger-than life characters and grand adventures with aliens or zombies, but Tokoyami was proud to have gotten him into some of his own comics that he felt had a little more sustenance when it came to plot and the occult and metaphysical.

The comic store also had a sale on old school movies, and the two ended up getting quite a few that they agreed to watch when they had the time between school homework and assignments.

Dark Shadow decides to come out while they’re reading, and immediately settles on Bakugo’s shoulder as he curiously looks at the comic.

“Oooh, zombies! Nice!” Dark Shadow comments excitedly.

Bakugo chuckles.

“Not just zombies, mutant zombies, with bad ass powers,” he adds, just as excitedly.

“Whoa! How are those people going to survive?”

“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Bakugo replies as he turns the page.

“Ooh, that character looks cool!” Dark Shadow comments.

“You’re just saying that cause he’s edgy like Tokoyami.”

Tokoyami perks up at the sound of his name.

“Edgy? What’s that?” Dark Shadow asks with the innocence of an elementary school child.

Bakugo chuckles as he looks in Tokoyami’s direction.

“It means someone who tries too hard to be cool.”

Tokoyami splutters at what can only be a jab.

“Excuse me—!”

Bakugo laughs loudly.

“C’mon, just look at this guy, he’s even dressed like you!”

Tokoyami leans over to look at the page his quirk and classmate are looking at.

“He has a cloak… that’s the only similarity.”

Bakugo’s shit-eating grin hasn’t disappeared.

“Exactly, typical edgy character trope.”

Dark Shadow just chitters as he rubs affectionately against Tokoyami’s face.

“I think you’re cool Fumi, and I’m sure Bakugo thinks so too,” he says, “Right Bakugo?”

Bakugo shrugs as he goes back to his comic.

“Eh, you’re alright.”

Tokoyami chuckles.

Coming from Bakugo, that might as well be a compliment.

“They’ve been hanging out a lot…” Mina comments as they watch the retreating figures of Bakugo and Tokoyami as they only briefly greet them when they return before making their way up to the dorms.

“A lot is an understatement…” Kirishima replies.

“How does it feel to be replaced as Bakugo’s best friend?” Kaminari teases as he nudges Kirishima’s side.

“Replaced? I’m not being replaced!”

Mina laughs.

“That’s true… you can’t replace something that is self-proclaimed! Bakugo actually chose Tokoyami.”

Kirishima pouts.

“You guys are mean…”

Both Mina and Kaminari latch on to one of Kirishima’s arms.

“We’re just kidding! We all know Bakugo could never replace you. But you gotta admit it’s unexpected…”

Both Kirishima and Kaminari nod.

“And he has been surprisingly less on edge since he’s been hanging out with Tokoyami more…”

“Should we ask them about it?”

“Nah… knowing Bakugo, he’ll just be weird about it and stop hanging out with Tokoyami or something.”

“That’s true… who knows, maybe this is good for them.”

“I think they make a cute couple,” Mina unexpectedly says, a gleeful look on her face.

“Wait… couple?” Kaminari asks.

“Isn’t that a stretch?” Kirishima points out.

Mina giggles.

“Who knows, I guess we’ll see…” she says in a sing-song voice.

They somehow slip into a routine of their own when they aren’t with their respective group of friends.

Sometimes they have lunch together.

Most weekends they go to the café so that Bakugo can try each of the spicy desserts.

Afterwards, they go to the comic book shop or just chill at the park.

They watch a movie during the middle of the week when most of their classmates are studying or doing homework, and even when Tokoyami invites others to watch the movie with them, their classmates politely decline, which Tokoyami finds a bit odd since their class is a bunch that seems to enjoy doing activities together.

Nonetheless, it almost always ends up being just Bakugo and him, with Dark Shadow sometimes curling up between them and sometimes even on Bakugo’s lap as Tokoyami tries not to stare at the adorable sight of Bakugo petting his quirk as if it were a pet, and thanks to their connection, Tokoyami can sort of feel the pleasant feelings of his quirk at the uncharacteristic, and likely subconscious, action on Bakugo’s part.

Bakugo even helps him study for his most difficult subjects.

Tokoyami doesn’t realize how unexpected it is for Bakugo to become such a large part of his daily routine until Shoji brings it up during one of their game nights with Sato and Koda.

“You and Bakugo have grown close,” Shoji mentions casually as they set up for their weekly campaign.

It takes Tokoyami a moment to realize that Shoji is referring to him, since he’s the only one it could be given the change in recent events.

Tokoyami blinks, unsure of why he feels the urge to fidget.

“Ah… it would seem so, yes.”

Not something Tokoyami had ever thought he would say, but an undeniable truth given how often they were in each other’s company as of late.

“How did it happen?” Koda asks.

Tokoyami frowns.

“I’m… not sure. It just… did?”

Another truth.

“You know… everyone seems to think you two are dating… but no one wants to ask.”

Tokoyami almost chokes on air at the suggestion by Sato.

“W-what?” he stutters out.

“Yeah… that’s why everyone leaves you guys alone when you watch movies. They think it’s your date night.”

Tokoyami feels his feathers puff up and his face heat up.

“That explains some things…” he mutters despite his flustered state.

“So… are you?” Sato asks.

“No! Of course not… what makes you think so?” Tokoyami replies, this time unable to resist shifting where he’s sitting on the floor.

“Besides the fact you two are almost always together and Bakugo doesn’t look like he wants to kill you or is being held against his will? Well, there was that one night that I saw Bakugo going into your room in the middle of the night…” Shoji comments, and Tokoyami feels his eyes widen.

Tokoyami remembered that night just a few days ago. He hadn’t expected anyone to be awake to see… but he hadn’t thought anything of it either.

“T-that was because he couldn’t sleep… so he came over to talk. He ended up falling asleep and stayed the night.”

It wasn’t until he said it out loud that Tokoyami realized how it would sound to anyone else, and he was proven right at the interested looks of his friends as he felt his feather puff even further.

“And you two slept on the same bed?”

Tokoyami shifted.

“Y-yes, but… it did not mean anything! Is it so weird for friends to have a sleepover? Girls do it all the time and no one makes it weird…”

His friends shared another look.

“Gender aside… it’s more surprising that Bakugo of all people would do something like that… sounds to me that he does like you. He’s way too different with you for it to not mean anything,” Sato said.

Tokoyami frowned, unsure of why his heart suddenly skipped a beat as warmth blossomed in his chest as he recalled that night, how easy it was to talk with the blonde as they both drifted off in the middle of a conversation, and how warm he had woken up the next morning beside the blonde boy as he snored quietly, and the peaceful look on his face that caused him to stare at him longer than he probably should have.

Still, Bakugo hadn’t acted any differently when he woke up, mainly wished him a good morning before he left to his own room to change and prepare for the day.

“What about you Toko? How do you feel about him?” Koda asked.

Tokoyami looked at his lap, and felt Dark Shadow stir within him with interest and bemusement.

“I… think he’s more pleasant than I expected. I enjoy hanging out with him, and it is been interesting getting to know him. He is exactly what I thought he would be… but also not at the same time. It is… fun being with him… but I do not know if I would call it romantic.”

His friends shared a look.

“Well, just so you know, if you did like him, we would be supportive. Bakugo actually looks tame when he’s with you, and you look happy.”

Tokoyami felt his body grow hotter.

“I appreciate the sentiment. But I highly doubt our relationship is what you think…”

The others chuckled.

“Okay, let’s get to our campaign. We have a gorgon to defeat.”

“What are you still doing here Shitty Hair?” Bakugo grumbled out as he wrote on his English homework.

He had agreed to help the redhead with their math assignment, but they had finished that almost ten minutes ago, and it was even more unnerving that the spiky-haired boy hadn’t even said a single word since they finished. And judging from the way he kept glancing over periodically, Bakugo had a good idea why.

“If you have something to say, spit it out,” he added gruffly.

Finally, Kirishima seemed to get the hint as he straightened.

“Would you tell me if you were dating anyone?”

Bakugo stopped his writing as he sent the redhead at glare.

“Eh? Why the fuck would I do that?”

Kirishima pouted.

“Because… I’m your best friend?”

Bakugo threw the pencil he was holding, disappointed when the redhead only hardened to lessen the impact and bounced off harmlessly.

“Says who?”

Kirishima doesn’t answer, and Bakugo decided he’s in a good enough mood to take pity on him.

“Besides, dating is for idiots who aren’t serious about becoming pro heroes.”

“Are you saying you don’t want to date anyone?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Who even has the time?”

“Are you sure?”

There was something on Kirishima’s voice that grated on Bakugo’s nerves.

“What the fuck are you trying to say idiot?”

There was a moment of silence as Bakugo glared fiercely at his self-proclaimed best friend, until finally the redhead sighed.

“Are you dating Tokoyami?”

Bakugo almost chokes on air.

“The fuck?” he practically growled out as his glare intensified.

“Well, you guys having been doing a lot of date-like stuff. You pay for each other’s food all the time, you go out almost every weekend, you watch a movie every week, and you disappear into his room all the time.”

Bakugo threw his book at Kirishima this time, who caught it and placed it on the floor instead of hardening like he had for the projectile pencil.

“Have you been spying on me?” Bakugo accused, ignoring the question as he instead focused on the implications of what he told him.

“Well… maybe a little, we were curious to see what you were up to.”

Bakugo growled in the back of his throat.

“We?”

Kirishima’s eyes widened as if he realized his mistake.

“I promise it was no big deal! It’s just hard not to notice when you’ve been spending a lot of time with him… the other day I even saw him sleeping on your shoulder outside!”

Bakugo frowned.

“That was because he was tired after being all night to study for Ectoplasm’s exam, idiot! Not because we’re dating!”

Kirishima frowned, as if struggling to understand Bakugo’s response.

“But… would you have let anyone else sleep on your shoulder?” he asks.

Bakugo felt his mind come to a halt at the question, as he considered the response. Would he have let anyone else sleep on his shoulder?

The answer was relatively easy to reach…

No.

Everyone else was too annoying, but Tokoyami was the opposite.

That was the only reason.

“We’re not dating,” Bakugo said firmly.

Kirishima looks unsure, but he doesn’t say anything as he gets up to tentatively return Bakugo’s book as he sets it on his desk.

“Well, if you were, that’s cool too, bro. You guys look good together.”

Bakugo frowned, even as Kirishima smiled brightly.

“You look happier too.”

Bakugo can’t concentrate even after Kirishima finally leaves.

He replays what the redhead said, and it causes him to frown and want to blow something up.

He and Tokoyami did a lot of date-like things?

He knew that it was true that the two had been spending more time together recently, but he didn’t think there was anything date-like about it.

They paid for each other’s food because it was an on going cycle of not being in each other’s debt that started with the wannabe goth paying for his breakfast. They went to the café almost every weekend because Bakugo wanted to try each of their desserts, and they went to the park after to read their comics or just hanf out because it was actually peaceful compared to being in the dorms where everyone else just annoyed him. They watched movies once a week because they found they both liked old classics, and the comic store had had a sale where they got a whole bunch that would take a bit to get through.

If he disappears into Tokoyami’s room, it was because he helps him study or because they were reading comics again, Tokoyami has a lot of comics. And so what if he ended up falling asleep in his room that one time?

None of that meant anything other than Tokoyami was the only one of the lot he could actually tolerate and whose company he could even enjoy.

That didn’t mean they were dating…

You had to have a crush on someone to want to date them, right? And Bakugo had never had a crush on anyone, he didn’t even know what a crush was supposed to be like.

What was a crush supposed to feel like?

He’d never given the idea of romance a thought, too focused on his path to becoming the number one hero.

His parents weren’t exactly the kind to talk to him about that kind of shit either, nor did they ever really seem like the romantic type except when his father would occasionally buy flowers for his mom.

Did his differential treatment of his shadow wielding classmate mean he had a crush on him?

Well, he certainly wasn’t going to ask any of his so-called friends, not with the knowledge that they had been spying on him and Tokoyami. He didn’t want to give them fodder for these crazy ideas.

It was a good thing modern technology gave them the opportunity to find every answer… particularly internet anonymous threads.

It was his go to place for questions he refused to ask anyone, which was practically everything.

So, he ventured into the familiar site that provided him with a large database and an anonymous account where he was sure to find answers from just as anonymous strangers he joined a lobby he had never before had the need to venture in; romantic relationships.

This was so stupid…

But he might as well just dive in, otherwise he wasn’t sure he would be able to concentrate, and he couldn’t afford not to be able to concentrate if he was going to succeed in being the number one hero.

Thankfully, it seemed he wasn’t the only one who had ever wondered about crushes as he quickly read through archived conversations about the very topic, and most people seemed to agree on the same points.

You feel good when you’re with them.

You want to do nice things for them.

They make you feel warm and giddy, and your heart skip a beat.

You like them better than anyone else.

You want to kiss them and hold their hand.

You don’t mind being vulnerable with them, and you want to tell them things you’ve never told anyone else before.

You’re scared to lose them.

You want them to be happy.

Bakugo closed the site with a huff.

It all said the same thing. It was all about feelings. How that person makes you feel.

Bakugo wasn’t good with feelings that weren’t of the rage and confidence kind.

He couldn’t even say if any of those things applied to how he felt about Tokoyami.

Did he feel giddy around him? Comfortable… sure. But giddy? Did his heart skip a beat? Not that he ever noticed…

Did he want to do nice things for him? Not particularly… though he did end up doing things that he couldn’t imagine doing for anyone else.

He did worry sometimes when they did their hero training exercises and the possibility for Tokoyami and Dark Shadow to get hurt existed.

Would he mind telling Tokoyami things about himself that he wouldn’t with anyone else? He supposed not… since he actually felt Tokoyami would keep his secrets. But didn’t that just mean he thought he was trustworthy?

Did he want to kiss him and hold his hand?

Bakugo growled as he stopped his train of thinking.

This was stupid. Why was he letting Kirishima get into his head?

Tokoyami was a cool dude. Why couldn’t it be that simple?

Chapter Text

It was not that simple.

Even though Bakugo refused to let Kirishima’s words get to him, he was much more aware of how he felt when he was around Tokoyami.

It was easy to be around the so-called Prince of Darkness, easy to forget about everything else and to simply relax when they were together. Whether it was having a cup of coffee in the morning, studying, or reading comics together, Bakugo looked forward to those moments, and never could he say he had ever felt so comfortable around someone.

Bakugo would feel genuinely disappointed if Tokoyami already had plans with his friends, or if he was snatched up by someone else for a group project.

He liked teasing Tokoyami and making him laugh.

He felt proud when Tokoyami came to him with a good grade in math and thanked him for helping him study so he could get better marks.

He found himself subconsciously looking for Tokoyami whenever he entered a room, something like anticipation swirling in his chest as he did.

None of it was simple.

“I got it.”

Bakugo handed the cashier the money to pay for their morning pastry and coffee.

They have long tried each dessert this café has to offer, but they continued to come whenever they could on the weekends, a part of their weekend routine that neither seemed eager to give up.

Bakugo had long lost track of who was in whose debt when it comes to paying. Quite frankly, he didn’t really care either. He didn’t mind paying for Tokoyami, and if he had more money, he wouldn’t mind paying for everything, because watching Tokoyami whine and object was entertaining as hell.

“You’ve paid the last few times,” Tokoyami mumbled as he sipped his coffee through the straw.

Bakugo smirked as he glanced at the feathered teen.

“Think of it as a reward for acing Ectoplasms exam,” he replied, and gently and playfully shoved against Tokoyami’s shoulder.

Tokoyami huffed, and Bakugo’s grin only widened at the sound.

“If you insist.”

Tokoyami grabbed the bag of pastries from the cashier, and Bakugo followed him out as they made their way down the familiar path that would take them to the nearby park.

It was a beautiful and chilly morning, just enough to need a thin sweater as they sipped their drinks on the way to the park. They both had a backpack on their backs, since they agreed to maybe doing homework if they felt like it. Bakugo doubted they would, but sometimes they got the urge to be productive so that they didn’t have to spend Sunday night doing homework like everyone else, and could spend it relaxing with a movie or show or even training when Bakugo felt particularly on edge.

They found their usual spot under a willow tree, and Tokoyami and Dark Shadow spread out the usual blanket that they used when they came for their Saturday Coffee, Dessert, and Comics Morning. Bakugo easily settled atop the blanket before Tokoyami and Dark Shadow finished the task, causing Tokoyami to sigh while Dark Shadow laughed when the blanket was snatched from their hands and fell haphazardly to the grass covered ground.

“So impatient…” Tokoyami mumbled as he set to fixing the blanket while Bakugo held their drinks.

“You love me,” Bakugo teased, not thinking anything of the phrase as he carefully placed their drinks on the flat ground as Tokoyami finally settled next to him.

“Well, you certainly have some likeable traits,” Tokoyami replied as he reached into the bag to retrieve their desserts.

Bakugo grinned and leaned closer to quickly snatch his danish and leaned his weight against Tokoyami’s shoulder as he took his first bite.

“Do tell,” Bakugo urged.

Tokoyami didn’t lean away and let Bakugo lean against him as Dark Shadow approached to receive his share of their dessert.

“Well, you are dedicated, intelligent, diligent, and strong. When you want to be, you can be quite considerate and dependable…”

Bakugo grinned as he took a sip of his coffee, hoping the warm liquid would stop the squirming that was suddenly occurring in the pit of his stomach.

“Of course, it could be argued that your good traits are overshadowed by your less desirable traits. You are short tempered, loud, brash, violent, prone to property destruction, disrespectful, impatient…”

Tokoyami only laughed when Bakugo shoved him away, and Bakugo couldn’t say he disliked the sound despite being on the receiving end of such insult.

“I’m the shit and you know it,” Bakugo growled under his breath, but lacked the usual contempt that he might voice were it anyone else that would dare speak to him in such a way.

“I plead the fifth,” Tokoyami answered while Dark Shadow giggled at their antics.

Honestly… Tokoyami was lucky that he was well… Tokoyami. Otherwise Bakugo would have already blown away his drink and probably burned their half of the blanket.

“Just for that, I’m not going easy on you during our sparring later,” Bakugo said as he made a big show of getting out his comic book and leaning back against the trunk of the tree behind them.

The sun was rising into the morning sky, providing much needed warmth as the sounds of chirping birds above them filled the air.

“I did not realize you were taking it easy on me…” Tokoyami replied as he finished eating the last of his muffin.

It was his favorite kind, banana nut, Bakugo recalled as he watched Tokoyami absently pull out his own comic while Dark Shadow settled on Tokoyami’s lap to nap. His quirk would retreat into Tokoyami’s body as soon as the sun got rid of the shade, since he wasn’t a big fan of the bright light disrupting a peaceful nap as a quirk that was most active at night. Honestly, Bakugo still didn’t understand how Tokoyami managed to get any sleep with a quirk like Dark Shadow, and admired Tokoyami’s ability to still function during the daytime, and be able to be up as early as he was.

Dark Shadow looked quite at peace, using Tokoyami’s lap as a pillow, and for a moment, Bakugo thought he might have felt a brief moment of… jealousy?

No, that couldn’t be right…

Bakugo frowned as he returned his gaze to the epic fight scene in his comic.

He was definitely not taking it easy on Dark Shadow later.

Very few people called Bakugo by his first name.

His parents and grandparents, obviously.

He didn’t count the always obnoxious Deku and his detestable nickname for him.

That one time that Kirishima tried calling him Katsuki, Bakugo had proptly kicked him down the stairs, and that had taken care of that.

“Fumi… why don’t you call Bakugo Kaa-chan like Deku does?” Dark Shadow asked one day while the two ate lunch outside.

Bakugo almost spit out the juice he had just taken a drink from and promptly glared at Dark Shadow. He sometimes forgot that the quirk had the mentality of a toddler.

Tokoyami didn’t miss a beat as he drank from his own juice box.

“Well, Dark Shadow, Bakugo would certainly not appreciate being called a nickname he does not like.”

“Damn right,” Bakugo gruffly agreed.

Dark Shadow seemed to hum in contemplation.

“Why not call him Katsuki then?” Dark Shadow followed up with.

Bakugo felt his breath hitch, and was not expecting the way his heart seemed to speed up in his chest.

Tokoyami also seemed to freeze, and tentatively looked over at Bakugo who suddenly had to make considerable effort to look unbothered by Dark Shadow’s suggestion.

“Well… I don’t think Bak—”

“I don’t mind…” Bakugo cut in as he averted his gaze to look to the side as he tried to look as nonchalant as possible.

“You… don’t mind?”

Bakugo didn’t miss the edge of disbelief on Tokoyami’s voice, and turned back to meet his wide-eyed gaze.

It was unusual to catch Tokoyami off-guard, and Bakugo liked when he did.

“Yeah… what’s the big deal?” Bakugo said with a shrug.

Tokoyami frowned, and Bakugo could practically feel his apprehension. Tokoyami was no doubt thinking this had to be some kind of trap.

“You… are certain?” Tokoyami insisted with a side-eye look.

This time, Bakugo grinned.

“A hundred percent… but with a catch…” Bakugo added, and his grin widened when Tokoyami blinked but looked relieved, as if he was thinking that yes, it made much more sense if there was a catch.

“What would that be?” Tokoyami asked.

Bakugo leaned in closer over the table between them.

“I get to call you Fumi…” he replied.

Bakugo kept his gaze firmly on the change in expression on Tokoyami’s face, and didn’t miss the way that his eyes widened or the way that his feathers seemed to fluff up at the response.

It was indeed rare to catch Tokoyami by surprise, and this was the most shocking thing that Bakugo could imagine saying. The result was everything he didn’t know he wanted as he watched Tokoyami look everywhere but him as he shifted in his seat.

All the while, Dark Shadow just looked both confused and amused as it giggled into its makeshift hands.

“Well… I… have no objections… Bak-“

Bakugo frowned as Tokoyami struggled to finish his sentence.

“…Katsuki…” Tokoyami finished.

Oh…

Oh.

Well.

That was different.

Bakugo blinked as he watched a flustered Tokoyami hide behind his hand, and couldn’t help but bring up his own hand against his face when he could have sword he felt his body heat rise, and he suddenly felt the urge to blow something up if only to let loose the steam that he suddenly felt building up in his head.

He was sure they were both grateful when someone called to them to remind them that lunch hour was almost over and they should return to class.

Despite the unexpected development, it was obvious to Bakugo that they both tended to avoid calling each other’s names when there were others around. Why stoke what must already be existing rumors if Kirishima’s previous statements were to be considered?

Still, Bakugo decided he quite liked the sound of his name on the rare occasions when Tokoyami would speak it and had even learned ways to coax it out of the feathered boy. His favorite was when he would purposely ignore the other, and Tokoyami quickly learned that the way to get him to finally pay him mind was to call his name.

Okay so maybe Bakugo was beginning to understand the appeal of being on a first-name basis, even though he had no urge to really do so with anyone else. He had tried to call someone else by their first name, for research purposes of course. He definitely couldn’t do it with Kirishima though, he would never live it down if he did. So he went with someone he figured wouldn’t make a big deal of it.

Who better than Todoroki?

He had spent quite a bit of time with Mr. Icy Hot that it wouldn’t be too left field, and the teen was so uptight that there was no way he would make a big deal out of it.

“Hey, Shoto!” Bakugo called out to the bicolored haired boy.

They were the only two in the shared living space, and Todoroki only looked over with a confused frown on his face as Bakugo approached.

Bakugo for his part, didn’t feel anything but weird and out of character when it came to calling the other boy by his first name. Nothing like how it felt when he called Tokoyami by the nickname that came from his first name.

“Can I help you…?” Todoroki asked despite the odd development.

“Yeah, no, that was weird. Forget about it.”

As expected, Todoroki seemed to understand and wordlessly returned to the studying he was doing as if nothing happened at all.

Just like Bakugo hoped.

Instead of sticking around, Bakugo continued on his way to the higher levels in a now familiar trajectory until he reached his destination.

He knocked only twice before opening the door and was greeted with the sight of a half-changing Tokoyami  who quickly reached for the shirt on his bed.

“Katsuki! I told you to wait for me to open the door!”

Tokoyami’s feathers fluffed up as they did whenever the teen was flustered, and Bakugo only grinned before closing the door behind him and making his way to the teen’s bed, where he carelessly plopped himself down on his back as he shamelessly kept his gaze on the still half-changed teen.

“And I keep telling you to lock your door if you don’t want others to barge in. You do realize the kind of people that we live with, right?” Bakugo replied.

Tokoyami grumbled something under his breath and turned his back to Bakugo as he slipped on his long-sleeved black shirt.

“You’re the only one that barges into my room…” Tokoyami replied with a huff.

Good fluttered through Bakugo’s mind, briefly, fleetingly, as he cradled the back of his head of his hands.

“Can I sleep over?” Bakugo asked casually.

Tokoyami finally turned around, and Dark Shadow eager slipped out of him with a look of excitement on his face.

“Sleepover?” the quirk eagerly parroted as it looked expectantly at Tokoyami, who sighed.

“I do not see why not…”

“Yay!” Dark Shadow cried as it extended until it was practically sitting on Bakugo, “What games are we playing Katsuki?”

As it was, it was hard to deny the quirk the same privilege as Tokoyami to call him by his first name, since the quirk was technically an extension of the teen, even though he had made it known it could only call him that when it was just the three of them with the excuse he didn’t want the others to get jealous. Like the toddler-minded quirk that Dark Shadow was, the explanation seemed to do the trick and Bakugo hadn’t had to do any damage control.

“I was thinking we can finish our game of Truth or Dare,” Bakugo replied with a smirk.

“Absolutely not,” Tokoyami was quick to say with a frown on his face.

“Aw, why not?” Dark Shadow asked as he practically deflated with disappointment.

“Because we are not having a repeat of last time…” Tokoyami replied, and Bakugo laughed remembering how Dark Shadow had practically dragged Tokoyami out the door when Bakugo had dared it to pour hot sauce into the orange juice carton in the kitchen to really surprise their classmates.

Tokoyami had been absolutely against the dare, and it had been a struggle to subdue Dark Shadow when it was at its strongest in the dead of night. Bakugo stood by the fact that it had been a good training exercise despite Tokoyami’s annoyance at their antics.

“C’mon Fumi, don’t be a killjoy,” Bakugo said, pleased when Tokoyami’s shoulder seemed to relax just a little.

“I refuse.”

“Fumi…”

Yep, it was definitely different when it was Tokoyami’s name.

It was definitely Bakugo’s fault when it happened.

Perhaps he had grown too familiar with speaking Tokoyami’s name, that it’s only when everyone froze around them that Bakugo realized his blunder.

“Did… did you just call him Fumi?” of course it was Mineta that had to point it out, even though by the looks of it everyone was thinking it.

Fuck.

“What of it?” Bakugo growled out.

They were in the middle of a training exercise. Don’t these idiots have an objective to focus on?

Everyone seemed to suddenly forget what to do as they looked between him and Tokoyami and Dark Shadow next to him.

There were some squeals of delight that erupted from the primarily female portion of their class, and Bakugo frowned as he felt his palms twitch with the urge to blow something up.

“That’s so cuuuute! Can I call you Fumi too?”

Leave it to Ashido to be so shameless, and Bakugo frowned deeper at the request, especially when Tokoyami’s feathers fluffed up in that familiar way that they did, and Bakugo was not pleased that someone else was able to achieve such a result.

“I—”

Before Tokoyami could reply, Bakugo had already let loose an explosion that seemed to remind everyone of what they were supposed to be doing.

“That’s thirty more points for me…” Bakugo growled out, before moving on towards the next target to score more points.

Everyone seemed to understand and followed suit as the exercise resumed without further incidents. And if Bakugo was more aggressive than usual, no one made a comment.

Chapter Text

“The Drama Club is hosting a poetry reading in two weeks…” Tokoyami said as he scribbled in his answer for their English homework on his desk.

Bakugo sat on the floor despite Tokoyami’s insistence that he sit on the bed, a much more comfortable alternative. Bakugo just responded that he would fall asleep if he sat on the bed, and he quite liked the floor actually.

“You should do it, you’d be good at it,” Bakugo replied.

Tokoyami blinked as he paused in his writing. How had Bakugo known that he was considering it but wasn’t sure if he was up to par?

“I… do not know about that,” Tokoyami replied.

“Why not? Don’t you already write poetry? Aren’t Blake and Poe some of your favorites or something?”

Tokoyami felt his eyes widen further as something peculiar rose in his chest.

“You… remembered that?” he muttered, more to himself than the boy sitting on his floor.

“Well, yeah. You quote them all the time. Nerd.”

Bakugo had yet to even glance in his direction as he continued to do his homework, and merely continued to easily answer Tokoyami’s question as if it was the most natural thing to know him as well as he did. Tokoyami didn’t think anyone else would know that those were indeed some of his favorite poets, or that he kept a book of poetry he would sometimes fill in when he should be paying attention to class instead.

“I do not know if I would be very good in front of a crowd… or if my poetry will be as good as others…” Tokoyami confided.

It was surprisingly easy, to speak to Bakugo, even about his insecurities and doubts.

“Well, it definitely won’t be if you’re a little bitch about it,” Bakugo finally turned his head, if only to send a reprimanding glare in Tokoyami’s direction.

Tokoyami chuckled.

“There you go with your tough love.”

Bakugo just shrugged.

“I’m just saying. If you want to do it, then give it your all and do it. If you’re too chicken to do it, then don’t even waste time thinking about it.”

Tokoyami glanced at his homework.

“I suppose…”

Bakugo huffed.

“Well, if you do decide to do it, let me know when it is so I can I see it.”

Tokoyami felt that odd sensation in his chest again.

“You would go?” he tentatively asked.

“Hell yeah I would go. And if you’re really good, I’ll even clap.”

Tokoyami chuckled once more.

“That almost sounds like a challenge.”

Bakugo had already turned back to his homework, but Tokoyami just knew that he had a smirk on his face.

“Take it as you will.”

A poem good enough to make Bakugo clap, huh? Perhaps he would take it as a challenge after all…

Writing a poem that Tokoyami could consider good enough to perform in front of a crowd of strangers and classmates was as daunting as he had feared despite the encouragement he had received from his friends after he submitted his name for the poetry reading.

Sure, he had plenty of half-written poems to choose from and put together if he needed, but he wanted to go the extra mile.

Performing poetry was more than merely words read aloud. There was emotion, and the bearing of the soul. It was about being able to speak a truth that was normally kept inside, a mirror into the id and ego. At least, that’s how Tokoyami saw it. Could he really be that vulnerable to so many people?

In front of Bakugo?

Tokoyami’s nervousness increased tenfold whenever he imagined Bakugo’s face amid an otherwise faceless crowd. His heart pounded in his chest as something twisted in his stomach.

He didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of anyone, particularly Bakugo.

But it was too late now.

There was no turning back.

“Hey,” Bakugo’s familiar voice drifted from behind him.

Tokoyami just fiddled with one of the buttons on his black vest as he turned to face the other boy that unexpectedly walked into the backstage where they would be reading from. Bakugo had told him the class had wanted to give him something before the performance and were sending Bakugo as the envoy.

“Hey—"

Tokoyami’s eyes widened when he saw that Bakugo was wearing a fitted red button up with the top two buttons left undone to reveal a black shirt underneath, paired with black fitted jeans that suited him far too well.

“Oh… why are you so dressed up?” Tokoyami replied as he shifted on his feet and tried his best to hide his nervousness, which seemed to have increased at the sight of Bakugo, if the squirming in his stomach was any indication.

“Same reason you are. Shitty hair hid all my shirts but this one. I guess Class-A decided on business casual for your poetry reading. They would have probably printed shirts with your face on it if you hadn’t told them so last minute,” Bakugo rubbed the back of his head as he sighed.

Tokoyami would have chuckled if his nervousness had let him.

“Well, I am certainly glad I did not. I would have definitely been too mortified to perform with all of you wearing my face on a t-shirt.”

“Don’t worry, I would have blown them up.”

Tokoyami felt his feathers fluff up at the comment.

“O-oh… uh… thank you. Your support is greatly appreciated.”

For some reason, Tokoyami bowed, because he felt like he should, even if he felt as awkward as he probably looked.

“Idiot, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Don’t just go bowing out of nowhere like that! What the fuck?!”

This time, Tokoyami really did laugh, and with it some of his nervousness melted away as he straightened and watched as Bakugo rubbed the back of his neck before looking back at him.

Bakugo huffed.

“That looks good on you, by the way.”

Tokoyami blinked at Bakugo’s comment, and his nervousness returned tenfold as he looked down at his outfit. The drama club had decided to spruce things up by having them dress up in a costume that suited their aesthetic and poem, which meant Tokoyami was wearing a gray long-sleeve button up with a black vest over it and a matching gray cravat, white pants with black boots, and a dramatic black cape that almost reached the floor.

“Oh? It’s not too much?” Tokoyami asked as he fiddled with the side of the cape.

Bakugo stepped closer, and Tokoyami felt that odd sensation in his chest increase, especially when Bakugo reached out to straighten his cravat.

“Not at all. You look exactly like a Prince of Darkness. You would look better if you stopped being nervous, though. I can see you shaking in your boots, literally.”

Tokoyami did his best to straighten his posture.

“Easier said than done… I have never been particularly good with being the center of attention… however brief.”

“Just imagine everyone in their underwear… or something. Either way, you’ll be fine. You have to make sure not to give Class-A a bad name.”

Tokoyami chuckled.

“No pressure, huh?” he replied sarcastically.

Bakugo smirked.

“None at all.”

One of the Drama Club students let everyone know they would be starting in ten minutes, which was Bakugo’s cue to do what he went there for.

“Anyway, if you need a good luck charm, we got this for you.”

Bakugo pulled out something from his pocket, and Tokoyami took in the sight of the oval shaped ruby-colored gem that glistened under the overhead light.

“Oh…” Tokoyami was practically speechless as he grabbed ahold of the gift.

It was actually a brooch, with gold accents surrounding it.

“It’s beautiful. You all got this for me?”

Bakugo shrugged.

“Are you really surprised? It’s Class-A we’re talking about. Here, let me put it on.”

Tokoyami wordlessly let Bakugo affix the brooch to the cravat. It should have been odd, to see someone like Bakugo capable of doing something as delicate as attaching the small accessory to his outfit. And yet, it wasn’t. It felt almost natural, because Tokoyami knew that Bakugo also possessed this side to himself, despite his outward appearance.

The thought caused something warm to rise in his chest, the nervousness once more ebbing away as he took in the sight of Bakugo’s focused expression as he looked scrutinizing at the now attached brooch to see if it was up to his standards.

“Heh. I knew it would match your eyes.”

Tokoyami blinked, and felt the urge to avert his gaze, but somehow managed to only shift slightly on his feet at the unexpected comment.

“Oh… uh… please send everyone my thanks. I will make sure to thank them properly after the show.”

Bakugo nodded.

“Break a leg, Fumi,” with one last smirk and a playful tug of his cravat, Bakugo turned around to return to his seat.

Tokoyami wondered why the room suddenly felt twenty degrees hotter.

Must be the lights…

Bakugo had never seen a poetry reading, so he actually had no idea what to expect. He honestly thought it would be kind of boring, with people just reading off a poem that rhymed and stuff.

He was actually surprised when the readings were more like performances. Full of emotions and gestures as the reader voiced their poem, although there was the occasional reading of a poem that rhymed and stuff.

The more he saw, the more he was interested to see what Tokoyami would do. Because as much as Tokoyami fit the bill for the edgy emo type, loud and emotional was not something he would attribute to the boy. Would his performance be as dark and monochrome as his appearance?

As the latest poet exited the stage, followed by the chorus of applause, Bakugo merely sat in place as he waited for the next person.

He perked up and straightened in his seat when it was Tokoyami that stepped out.

“Wow! He looks so cool!”

“Way to bring your A game, Toko!”

“He looks like a prince!”

Bakugo smirked at the mutters of appreciation from their classmates and other surrounding students.

Their classmates were already clapping and cheering as Tokoyami approached center stage, but Bakugo was glad to see that Tokoyami no longer looked nervous like he had backstage. In fact, he stood proud and composed as he reached the mic and faced the crowd.

Tokoyami’s gaze quickly found the row with their classmates since they made sure to call his name to get his attention.

“Good evening,” Tokoyami said into the mic, “My name is Tokoyami Fumikage from Class-A. My sincerest thanks for coming out to see us tonight. This is my first poetry reading, and I hope you enjoy my performance of my poem, Tsukuyomi.”

The lights dimmed, and the stage lights focused on Tokoyami in the center of the stage.

“Revelry in the Dark.”

Bakugo felt goosebumps rise at the sound of Tokoyami’s low baritone voice as it pierced through the room. It was nothing but a gentle caress, yet seemingly able to reach under his skin as well.

“It is a mantra, an acceptance of what I am. Of what we are.”

Bakugo felt his eyes widen as Dark Shadow suddenly emerged behind Tokoyami, as if two wings made of darkness manifested from him, and several surprised gasps erupted through the room.

“Yet, it did not begin that way...”

Bakugo felt himself lean forward as he watched Tokoyami close his eyes, a feeling of anticipation rising in his chest.

“As a child, I feared the darkness, as most children tend to do.

It represented all there is to be frightened of.

That which lurks within; monsters, demons, the unknown, and death itself.”

With each of Tokoyami’s words, Dark Shadow shifted into several obscure silhouettes behind him. More than the visual representation, Bakugo was more drawn in by the subtle change in emotion in Tokoyami’s voice. It was as if he could almost feel his fear and vulnerability.

“And because I feared it, I gave it power.”

Several students gasped aloud as Dark Shadow stretched and grew, until it threatened to even cover the lights above.

“Sleepless nights, fighting a battle I could not hope to win.

The shadows stretched and closed in with the passage of the moon.”

More mutters as Dark Shadow mimicked the words as it closed in on Tokoyami, practically engulfing everything but his face.

“Illumination was my safe haven, the light of the sun the savior I ached to see each morning.

Not realizing that by repressing the darkness, I rejected a part of myself.”

Dark Shadow shrunk in on itself, practically retreating back into Tokoyami, almost pitifully so.

Bakugo felt something in his chest clench, and he frowned.

Why did he suddenly wish everyone else would go away? Why did it feel as if Tokoyami was bearing a part of himself that Bakugo didn’t want others to see?

“It was only when I first heard the story of Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi and the separation of day and night that my perspective shifted.

The tale of how Tsukuyomi will pursue Amaterasu for eternity, cursed to never truly reach her light again.”

Dark Shadow once more erupted from Tokoyami, taking the shape of a clawed hand as it reached for the light above, only to shrivel away as if repelled by the light before retreating back.

“For the first time, I pondered, “How lonely it must be, for Tsukuyomi. To be feared and ran from. To be misunderstood and forever labeled as evil.”

Something within me ached deeply at the thought.”

Bakugo felt his chest clench once more, a far too vivid picture of a younger Tokoyami flashing through his mind, and the feeling of wanting everyone else gone only increased as his hand twitched from the sudden urge to blow something up.

“It was not long into the beginning of my education that I experienced the cruelty and ridicule that classmates can be capable of.

I was weak and scared, not a fighter by any means.

I wanted only to run, but I could not seem to remember how to move.

I prayed and hoped for my savior to rescue me. But the light and sun did not aid me then, it only observed from its place in the heavens.”

Tokoyami’s voice was full of emotion, and Bakugo felt a sudden rush of anger at the thought of Tokoyami being bullied.

If he had been there… what? What would have he done? Saved him? Hadn’t he been a bully himself? Wouldn’t he have just laughed and joined in?

Bakugo clenched his jaw, and his hands closed into a tight fist. A part of him, the part of him that he refused to ever acknowledge out loud, knew that’s exactly what he might have done back then, to someone he considered weak.

Was Tokoyami ever that weak? Weak enough that someone had thought to bully him?

“Rather, it was the very darkness that I feared that came to my aid.

Limited by my naivety, it was just as scared and weak as I ever was. The very reflection of myself.”

Dark Shadow once more materialized, this time a much smaller version of itself as it seemed to envelop itself around something just as small that Bakugo knew was the young version of Tokoyami so many years ago.

“And yet, it shielded me from the blows, absorbed their malice to spare me its pain.

It did for me what I thought I could not do for myself, and taught that my fear had been misplaced.”

Bakugo felt a wave of warmth and appreciation wash over him, and had the sudden urge to thank and spoil the quirk the next time he saw it.

“From that day forward, darkness became more than just a part of me… it became my friend and protector.”

Tokoyami extended an arm out beside him, and Dark Shadow easily wrapped itself around it in its normal form as it practically nuzzled Tokoyami’s hand, and a few coos and ‘awes’ were uttered by the crowd.

“A hero in the making.

Tsukuyomi .”

This time, Dark Shadow wrapped around the present Tokoyami like armor, in the move that their classmates recognized as Black Abyss, before disappearing as Tokoyami straightened once more.

The sound of thunderous clapping erupted around them, with people all around Bakugo even rising to their feet.

“Bravo, magnifique!”

“Amazing!”

“Wow!”

“Incredible!”

There was no shortage of praise around, but Bakugo suddenly felt unable to move, as if he was still absorbing the weight of what Tokoyami had just done and shared with the world.

A familiar feeling of possessiveness wrapped around him as he clenched his fists.

He didn’t want anyone else to see this side of Tokoyami.

Tokoyami’s heart had hammered in his chest the entire time, and he had avoided looking at the crowd in order to keep his composure.

Everything went by in a blur, but Dark Shadow followed his every instruction despite his nervousness, and when he was done, he was surprised that his legs didn’t immediately give out from under him.

The thunderous applause that followed was unexpected, and Tokoyami finally turned his gaze to look at the crowd of students and was further taken aback by the standing ovation he was apparently receiving. He had hoped that his use of Dark Shadow would enhance the show… but he had certainly not expected this level of reception…

But if that was the case… than surely he was clapping as well.

Tokoyami immediately turned his gaze to the only row he had looked onto when he stepped onstage, where his fellow classmates were sitting, and easily picked out the red shirt he was looking for.

…only for his heart to plummet.

Out of everyone, Bakugo was the only one that wasn’t standing or clapping. He remained sitting… with a frown on his face.

Whatever relief and pride Tokoyami might have felt when he heard the applause, it all evaporated the moment his eyes fell on Bakugo.

He had thought for sure his performance would be agreeable…

Now, he suddenly felt like a failure, and the sound of applause disappeared as he quickly made his way out of the stage after a brief bow.

He vaguely felt hands on his person once he reached the safety of the backstage, congratulatory claps on his back as he moved to join others who had already finished their performance.

“Man, that’s gonna be a tough act to follow…” someone commented.

Tokoyami frowned.

Why didn’t he feel like that was the case at all?

Tokoyami did not like being the center of attention.

But that’s exactly what he became the moment his classmates dragged him back to the dorm, singing him praises every step of the way.

They greeted him with a celebration that Tokoyami didn’t think was necessary, but knew he should not be surprised by when it came to Class-A.

They ordered pizza and soda and congratulated him on receiving the crowd favorite ribbon that was placed on his chest. He was still dressed in the costume he had worn, despite itching to change out of it.

“You did amazing too Dark Shadow!”

Dark Shadow actually looked embarrassed as it rubbed the back of its head.

“Gee thanks, I had to practice a lot!”

“You sure delivered though! You’re gonna have a lot of fans now for sure!”

Dark Shadow gleefully accepted the pets of the female students, glad to be pampered after a night of hard work.

“You know, you’re probably going to get a ton of confessions after a performance like that Tokoyami!” Mineta suggestively elbowed him as he wiggled his eyebrows, and Tokoyami reeled back.

“Confessions?” Tokoyami awkwardly voiced as several classmates grinned knowingly and nodded.

“No doubt! You probably woo’ed a bunch of girls with that sensitive and mysterious side of yours!” Ashido voiced with a large smile on her face.

Tokoyami felt his feathers fluff up at the suggestion and wondered why he suddenly felt the urge to scan the room for Bakugo.

Quite frankly, their explosive classmates had been keeping his distance, and whenever Tokoyami saw him out of the corner of his eyes it was to see him frowning deeply with his hands in his pockets, as if something was deeply bothering him.

Tokoyami hadn’t wanted to approach him, hadn’t wanted to hear confirmation that his performance hadn’t met his standard, and had done his part to also avoid him by indulging his classmates in conversation instead.

“I highly doubt that…” Tokoyami replied as he occupied himself with drinking from the straw of his drink in hand.

“You hear that Bakugo? You might have to share Tokoyami soon!” Kaminari called out with a laugh, and Tokoyami felt dread settle in the pit of his stomach as the Bakugo was dragged into the conversation.

Despite himself, Tokoyami found his gaze straying to Bakugo, who was currently laying down on the couch with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed with the familiar deep frown on his face.

“Feh!” was all he said, and their classmates erupted into a round of laughter as if it was the funniest joke in the world, a joke that Tokoyami certainly did not feel he understood.

“Just make sure to let them down easy. You know what they say, a maiden’s heart is fragile… and should be handled with care.”

“Or! Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!”

“Yeah, that one seems more accurate.”

Laughter coursed throughout the dorms for the remainder of the night, until Tokoyami just wanted to retreat into the comfort of his room.

He excused himself politely, claiming his fatigue, and his classmates let him go with a few more congratulatory words.

Tokoyami let out a breath of relief once he was in the comfort of his room. He was far from suited to being the center of attention of gatherings, and the after party had been arguably more exhausting than the performance itself.

Tokoyami wanted nothing more than to curl up beneath his sheets, and he could tell that for once, Dark Shadow was exhausted enough that Tokoyami could feel it practically dormant, a rarity when it came to nighttime.

Tokoyami began to change out of his costume, taking care to remove the ribbon and brooch he had received as he gently laid them down on the surface of his desk.

His thoughts turned back to the moment Bakugo had so carefully placed the brooch on him, and his mood sunk once more as he sighed.

Bakugo had felt so warm back then, and now… Tokoyami couldn’t even so much as look at him and talk to him.

Why did he care so much about what Bakugo thought of his performance?

Objectively speaking… he had done well, especially if he considered the fact that he had received the only ribbon given to the participants.

And yet… none of that seemed to matter.

Tokoyami tried to clear his mind of his intrusive thoughts and managed to change into a pair of sweatpants before the sound of his door bursting open startled him, and he felt Dark Shadow defensively surge forth before Tokoyami turned to see the familiar figure of Bakugo practically stomp into his room.

The dread and disappointment returned tenfold at the sight, and Tokoyami felt himself shrink in on himself, especially when he remembered that he was shirtless, and his shirts were still neatly tucked away within his dresser and not within easy reach, especially when his legs suddenly refused to move.

Tokoyami didn’t even have the usual energy to berate Bakugo on his abrupt entrance, and Tokoyami looked at anywhere but him as the blonde approached.

“Why won’t you look at me?”

Tokoyami had to resist the urge to flinch away at the bluntness of Bakugo’s gruff tone.

It took much more energy than Tokoyami expected to be able to force himself to meet Bakugo’s gaze, and was surprised with how guarded his expression looked.

Bakugo was not particularly good at hiding his emotions, and the fact that Tokoyami could not easily read him filled him with a sense of confusion and unease.

“I am… just tired…” Tokoyami quietly replied, unable to come up with a better response on the spot.

Bakugo’s gaze narrowed, and Tokoyami was surprised when the blonde reached out to grab him by the wrist, and pulled him closer.

“You’re lying… something’s bothering you… I can tell…”

Bakugo’s heated gaze seemed to pierce into Tokoyami, who blinked and averted his gaze to escape from the intensity of it.

“I do not know what you mean… I really just wish to sleep,” Tokoyami insisted, hoping that Bakugo would just accept it and leave.

He should have known that was something Bakugo would not do.

“Stop fucking lying, it doesn’t suit you!” Bakugo practically growled out.

This time, Tokoyami felt a wave of indignation wash over him, and he straightened and forcefully pulled his wrist back, breaking out of Bakugo’s grip as he glared at him instead.

Bakugo only stiffened and kept his gaze locked on him, as if urging Tokoyami to do something with his gaze.

Tokoyami rubbed the spot on his wrist as he once more averted his gaze, the brief moment of indignation turning into embarrassment instead as he felt a lump form on his throat.

“You didn’t clap…” Tokoyami muttered, the words out of his beak before he realized what he was saying, and felt his face heat up.

What was he? A petulant child? That’s certainly what he felt like in that moment.

“I didn’t…. what?”

Bakugo actually sounded confused, and the tone only made the indignation return as Tokoyami once more sent a glare in the blonde’s direction, who looked as confused as he sounded.

“You didn’t clap! You said if I was good, you would clap. But you didn’t…” Tokoyami felt his voice trail off the more he talked, and once more averted his gaze.

There was a moment of silence, and Tokoyami was trying his best to gather the energy to forcefully remove Bakugo from his room, but even Dark Shadow had retreated further than Tokoyami needed in that moment.

The silence stretched for a short moment that felt like an eternity, until Bakugo finally broke it.

“Fuuuuuck. Shit. Goddammit!”

Tokoyami blinked as he watched as the blonde held his hands against his face out of apparent exasperation.

“Are you kidding… you were fucking amazing! Was that standing ovation not proof enough?” Bakugo finally elaborated.

Tokoyami felt his face once more heat up, warmth rising in his chest despite his confusion. He had been complimented so often that night, more than he ever had been in his entire life… and yet… it was different when the words came from Bakugo himself.

“But… you didn’t clap…” Tokoyami insisted, his voice barely a whisper.

As Tokoyami kept his gaze trained on the floor, he didn’t miss the way that Bakugo shifted on his feet uneasily.

“That was… just because…”

Bakugo groaned, as if unable to finish the sentence.

“Fuck! Can you just believe me when I tell you that you were amazing? And whether I clapped or not has nothing to do with how good you were?”

Tokoyami blinked as he looked back at Bakugo, who actually looked flustered if the redness on his cheeks was anything to go by.

Tokoyami felt that warmth in his chest increase and spread to the rest of his body, relief accompanying it as he clearly saw the sincerity behind Bakugo’s statement.

“I… was amazing?” Tokoyami asked, still wanting to hear the clarification.

As expected, Bakugo’s face once more scrunched up.

“Oi, I’m not here to stroke your damn ego you know! Haven’t you heard enough compliments for one night?!”

Tokoyami would be smiling if he had a mouth.

“Not from you…” he insisted.

Bakugo growled something under his breath, something that sounded like ‘so fucking needy, I swear’ before rudely manhandling Tokoyami by grabbing ahold of his shoulders and tossing him against his bed, where he bounced on the mattress before looking at Bakugo with a reprimanding glare.

“Excuse me—”

“Didn’t you say you were exhausted? I’m sleeping here tonight, so hurry up. I’m tired too.”

Tokoyami blinked in confusion, but was used to Bakugo’s impromptu sleepovers enough that he only frowned and sighed.

“I’m not even done changing…” he muttered instead, knowing better than to object to the stubborn blonde.

“You’re fine. You know I run hot anyway, what better space heater than me?” Bakugo said.

Tokoyami couldn’t argue with that either. Too many times he’d woken up because it felt too hot and he needed to take the blanket off thanks to Bakugo’s body heat.

It was only then that Tokoyami noticed that Bakugo had changed out of his button up and into some sweats and signature black tank tops, which meant he must have stopped at his room to change before coming to his room. Had he come with the intention of sleeping or did he really want to talk to him about why he was upset? Either way, Tokoyami felt pleased with the thought.

Tokoyami was surprised, although perhaps he shouldn’t have been, that Bakugo could tell that he had been upset.

Either way, it was easy enough to relent and settle on his side of the bed, closest to the wall, and slid under the blankets. He watched as Bakugo reached for the lamp next to the bed, since they usually left the light on to combat Dark Shadow’s restlessness, before walking over to the light switch and turning off the ceiling lights.

It was when Bakugo was settling in next to him that Tokoyami spoke up.

“We don’t need the lamp…. Dark Shadow is tired enough he won’t put up a fight tonight.”

Bakugo turned to him with a raised eyebrow, and chuckled before shrugging and turning to turn off the lamp.

Darkness engulfed them, but Tokoyami had never been less afraid. Not when he could feel Bakugo’s warmth beside him.

“Must mean you’re gonna sleep like a baby, huh?” Bakugo said as he turned back to face him.

They normally fell asleep like this, face to face. Although Bakugo eventually turned onto his back to sleep.

“Mm…” Tokoyami said, already feeling his lids grow heavy.

Tokoyami might have drifted off then and there, if something else wasn’t keeping him awake.

“Katsuki…” he said softly.

“Hm?” Bakugo replied.

“Earlier… it looked like something was bothering you too… what was it?”

Tokoyami blinked through the heaviness of his lids, and the light coming from the moon outside lightened the room just enough that he could see the frown on Bakugo’s face.

“Do I have to say it?” Bakugo practically huffed out.

Tokoyami made a sound of contemplation.

“I would appreciate it…”

Bakugo sighed, but Tokoyami had no intention of pushing if Bakugo didn’t want to share.

Tokoyami felt his eyes flutter close, and it was only as he was about to drift off that Bakugo spoke again.

“It’s just… it bothered me…”

Bakugo didn’t elaborate right away, and Tokoyami didn’t speak as he waited for whatever Bakugo was willing to share.

“Your poem… it felt so personal… and sincere. It just didn’t feel right for strangers to get to hear that…”

Tokoyami should have been embarrassed, but instead, he only felt warm and flattered by what he knew was consideration and protectiveness on Bakugo’s part.

“That is what a poetry reading is… a glimpse of one’s soul,” Tokoyami gently clarified.

“Clearly…” Bakugo grumbled, “I’m just sayin’… maybe you should be more selective of who you let see your soul…”

Tokoyami suddenly felt the urge to scoot closer to Bakugo, so he did. Just slightly, to bask in his heat, if the other were to ask.

“Mm… perhaps you are not wrong. I shall save glimpses into my soul for those closest to me… like you.”

Tokoyami fully closed his eyes, and he might have imagined it, but he could have sworn he felt Bakugo scoot closer as well.

“Damn right…” came the soft, almost inaudible, reply.

Tokoyami felt himself begin to drift off into a deep slumber and wondered if the soft caress against his feathers was also his imagination.

“Sleep easy, Fumi…”

Chapter Text

The first time Tokoyami woke to Bakugo’s arm wrapped around him, his body completely froze in his hold.

They’ve shared a bed plenty of times by then, but never had Tokoyami woken up to being held.  

Several thoughts crossed his mind after the initial grogginess of sleep was shaken off by the weight of the arms around him.

First of all, it was warm.

Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing now that the weather was colder and the rooms a bit chillier.

Second, and most concerning of all, this was weird, right?

Tokoyami didn’t have the most experience when it came to sleepovers and such, Bakugo being the first person that had ever wanted to sleep over at what would be considered his place at school. But he knew enough from external sources that this would be considered cuddling… spooning to be precise. And that… was not exactly the norm between friends… right?

Which was fine, surely Bakugo unconsciously latched on during his sleep and it was by no means intentional… right?

Right.

The polite thing to do would be to find a way to gently extricate himself from Bakugo’s hold without waking him… right?

Or… he could just pretend to be asleep… and wait for Bakugo to wake up and let him go on his own accord.

That would be the safer option, since Bakugo was not exactly a light sleeper, and his grip on him was secure enough that Tokoyami could already tell extricating himself would not be an easy matter.

So, he waited, and tried his best to remain as still as possible despite the squirming occurring in his chest and the urge to use the bathroom that was the reason he was awake in the first place.

It was fine… Bakugo was an early riser anyway, so he could hold out…

Except he couldn’t.

There was just too much stimulation, and his heart was racing, and his bladder wasn’t cooperating, and Tokoyami just needed to go.

This didn’t have to be weird, and Tokoyami wasn’t going to be the one to make it weird.

So, after gathering the nerve to risk waking the explosive teen, Tokoyami simply sat up and gently picked up Bakugo’s arm as he pulled it off of him.

He didn’t linger on the odd sense of disappointment when he did so.

“Sorry, Katsuki, I have to use the bathroom,” Tokoyami voiced, and hoped that he didn’t sound as unnerved as he had felt just a moment before.

Bakugo only stirred and made a sound between a grunt and a moan that made Tokoyami’s skin prickle as he made his way off the bed to find some relief.

See… not weird.

Not weird at all.

The second time it happens, some time later, Tokoyami doesn’t have the same urgency to use the bathroom.

He idly wondered if maybe this happened more often than not, and it was just on the rare occasions that he woke up before Bakugo that he was able to take notice of it.

If it does happen more often than Tokoyami noticed, then Bakugo hadn’t said anything, and hadn’t made a big deal about it, so Tokoyami decided he wouldn’t either.

It’s not as if it was exactly unpleasant.

Quite the contrary, it was warm, and there was a sense of security and comfort that came with the gesture that made Tokoyami feels at ease. Well, after the initial panic of course. But he’s a future pro hero, and Tokoyami has learned how to deal with panic.

This must be the perks of being female and female friendships, Tokoyami thought to himself, being able to openly show platonic affection without thing being sexual or romantic in nature.

It must be nice being a girl and being able to receive affection from friends platonically. He definitely agreed the men would do well with more shows of platonic affection.

Tokoyami frowned, not sure why the thought didn’t exactly sit well with him.

He couldn’t linger on the thought for much longer, because that was the moment that Bakugo stirred behind him, and Tokoyami’s immediate reaction was to pretend that he was asleep and forced himself to relax in his hold as he closed his eyes.

Bakugo was spooning him again, so Tokoyami couldn’t see his face and what his expression might be. If he could, maybe he would have been able to tell if this really was a reoccurring… event? Gesture? Occurrence?

What he did not expect was a breathless sigh against the back of his neck as Bakugo actually pulled him closer and nuzzled into the back of his feathers.

Tokoyami’s eyes practically snapped open, and his heart felt as if it might pop out of his chest. Especially when Bakugo muttered comfy and pressed even closer against him.

Oh dear.

Still! Tokoyami already decided this did not have to be weird, or a big deal. Bakugo was probably still half asleep, and not fully conscious of what he was doing, and perhaps it was the chill in the air that led him to seek his warmth.

Nevertheless, his brain seemed to have some difficulty knowing what it should think or do, so all Tokoyami could do was lay there, and just… wait it out. Whatever that meant.

Bakugo stilled behind him, but Tokoyami could still feel even breaths against the back of his neck, and focused on the sound of it. It was surprisingly calming, and Tokoyami was able to relax, and somehow matched his breathing to the other as they laid there.

“Are you awake?”

Tokoyami hadn’t expected the question, which sounded alert and not as groggy as he would have expected. And definitely not when Bakugo was still holding him against him.

Tokoyami’s first inclination was to pretend to be asleep… but… what was the point of that? Tokoyami had already established that this didn’t have to be a big deal… right?

“I am…” Tokoyami replied, as calmly as he could manage.

Because he was. He was perfectly calm. His heart normally beat this fast in the mornings.

Bakugo still didn’t let go of him, and Tokoyami still didn’t move.

A moment of silence passed, the two just laying—spooning—together.

“What do you want for breakfast?” Bakugo asked, as easily as if he was asking how the weather was.

“Hm… I have been craving waffles as of late…”

“Boring.”

Tokoyami chuckled.

“You asked,” he replied.

Bakugo was still holding him.

“Maybe I can make jalapeno waffles…”

“No thank you.”

“What do you mean? Sounds better than boring plain pieces of cooked batter!”

“Jalapeno belongs on nachos and certain sandwiches and foods. Certainly not on sweet waffles.”

“Says you…” Bakugo grumbled.

“Indeed.”

Bakugo was still holding him, having only moved to better prop up his head so that he could speak without his face being buried in Tokoyami’s feathers.

Despite it, Tokoyami felt as if this was just another morning of the two waking up together, which was arguably more often than Tokoyami ever expected.

“I’m still making jalapeno waffles.”

“I would still like waffles, sans the jalapenos, if you’d be so kind.”

Bakugo chuckled.

“Only because you asked so nicely.”

Bakugo groaned as he finally let go of Tokoyami and rolled over and sat up to with a yawn.

“Hurry up before everyone wakes up and starts asking for food too. I ain’t making any for fucking extras.”

Tokoyami finally rolled over as well, and took in the sight of the way that Bakugo stretched on his side of the bed… and wondered when he started thinking of it as Bakugo’s side of the bed…

The sun illuminated his blonde hair and skin, giving him a certain kind of glow that Tokoyami found appealing.

“Does that mean I am no longer an extra?”

Bakugo got up, and didn’t so much as glance back as he looked for the hoodie he had discarded on the floor the night before.

“You? Nah. You’re like… a foil, I guess.”

Tokoyami looked inquisitively at Bakugo, not surprised that Bakugo could so easily come up with an Literature term considering his intellect.  And Literature was the only subject that Tokoyami felt he could almost match him.

“You are… not wrong. Given how opposite we are.”

Bakugo slipped on his dark green hoodie, which Tokoyami thought suited him quite well. Green was a good color on him.

A foil huh? A character that served to highlight the characteristics of the other due to their differences.

Bakugo’s light to Tokoyami’s darkness.

Bakugo’s abrasiveness to Tokoyami’s passiveness.

Bakugo’s tendency to stand out to Tokoyami’s way of blending into the background.

Bakugo’s love of spicy food to Tokoyami’s aversion to it.

“C’mon bird brain, get changed already!”

Bakugo’s impatience to Tokoyami’s infinite patience.

Still, Tokoyami got his plain and simply sweet waffles, while Bakugo got his jalapeno ones.

And nothing was weird about it.

The third time Bakugo made unexpected bodily contact with Tokoyami was during another of their comic excursions, when he unceremoniously laid his head on Tokoyami’s lap.

“The sunlight can’t bother me this way,” was his only reasoning.

Tokoyami only blinked and looked up at the sun that had indeed been shining down where Bakugo was sitting while he himself remained in the shade from the leaf’s convenient location against the sun.

“I see.”

So, Tokoyami saw no reason as to why not, but was consciously aware of Bakugo’s weight on his lap as he read through his comic and sipped his drink.

His lap certainly thanked him for the added warmth on the chilly day, the reason they couldn’t stay out for very long and left back to the dorms soon after.

The fourth time, it’s Tokoyami who didn’t think anything of it when he initiated bodily contact.

They were watching a new batch of movies, as was part of their weekly routine. Tokoyami’s hoodies were in the process of being washed, and he was cold. Unlike his explosive classmate, he did not run hot.

Even with a small throw blanket, Tokoyami was still cold. On top of that, the cold made him sleepy.

All of these factors combined, it made sense that Bakugo’s lap would be the most comfortable alternative, particularly when his eyes began drooping and he felt himself start to nod off.

He really didn’t want to fall asleep, but he was also finding it hard to resist its call, and he at least wanted to try and finish the movie.

It just seemed like a good idea to rest on Bakugo as he lowered himself so that he could lay his head on his lap while still being able to see the TV. Bakugo was also warm, which Tokoyami hoped would help to wake him.

He barely even remembered telling Bakugo to wake him in thirty minutes so he could finish his laundry.

“Sure,” was all that Bakugo said.  

It was much too comfortable to stay awake, so Tokoyami didn’t, and fell into a wonderful nap.

Their class was definitely one that enjoyed fads and wouldn’t hesitate to take part if they thought it would be fun to do.

Or stupid, in Bakugo’s humble opinion.

For over a week, they had been doing a stupid fad where someone would stick out their palm and to see if someone behind them would go forward and place their chin on their hand.

Like… what the fuck was the point of that?

They tried to get him to do it plenty of times, and Bakugo had roared and called them his usual names before stomping away. Honestly, those losers were lucky that he hadn’t broken their wrist while he was at it.

He would say he couldn’t wait till they moved on to the next fad or challenge or whatever it was that they could turn their attention to, but he knew it would just be another idiotic thing and they would still try to pull him into it as if he didn’t have better things to do.

Not to mention, they even got Todoroki to do it. Of all people! What the actual fuck? He at least thought the guy had some actual pride.

Tokoyami had also gotten sick that past week, and had been recovering away from their classmates, which meant Bakugo couldn’t use him as an escape away from all the idiots in the class.

Today would be the first day that Tokoyami was back, and Bakugo felt as if the world was back to how it should be.

Of course, nothing could ever be right when it came to class 1-A.

Bakugo had only left to use the bathroom, and when he returned during their break, some people had already gathered around Tokoyami. It wasn’t even Tokoyami’s usual friends. It was the up-to-no-good squad that consisted of Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido, and Sero.

“Hey, Tokoyami, do this.”

Of course, Kaminari proceeded to instruct Tokoyami to hold his palm up.

Which, because he had been away from everyone for the past week while sick, Tokoyami had no idea what the gesture was, and only looked confused.

At least he seemed a little apprehensive about the request, having the good sense to know who was in front of him.

“C’mon! It’ll be worth it! It’s a new game,” Kirishima encouraged.

Perhaps Tokoyami figured the easiest thing to do was just indulge his classmates and did as instructed.

Of course, several people were behind Tokoyami as he did this, with plenty of eyes now trained on the palm being held up as had been commonplace for the past week.

Bakugo was one of those people conveniently behind Tokoyami. Half and half was on his left side, and toad girl on his right. Despite also having noticed the gesture, neither of the two immediately proceeded to walk forward.

Instead, they both stopped to glance at Bakugo, or perhaps they looked at each other, to see who would be doing the deed.

Bakugo immediately narrowed his eyes, and before giving either of the two the chance, walked forward until he was directly behind Tokoyami, and lowered himself so that he was able to place his chin on Tokoyami’s open palm.

Tokoyami looked over in surprise, and was about to pull away, but stopped when he saw it was Bakugo that had placed their chin on his hand.

The thought vaguely gave Bakugo a sense of satisfaction before it was inevitably ruined by the stupidity of the rest of the class.

“YAAAAAAAY!”

“YOU DID IT BAKUGO!”

“FINALLY!!”

Bakugo immediately felt a vein throb in his forehead as he heatedly glared at those around him cheering and actually clapping.

“SHUP UP NERDS! THAT’S A ONE TIME THING!”

Everyone had a way too pleased look on their face for Bakugo’s liking. The very definition of the cat who got the cream. Bakugo really wished he had heat vision right then, since he could say it was an accident if he happened to melt their faces with it.

Tokoyami could only blink in confusion at the events that transpired around him.

“Of course he would do it if it was you,” Ashido whispered in his ear followed by a giggle, and Tokoyami could only frown in confusion.

It wasn’t the most cryptic of messages. Tokoyami could easily figure out that this was indeed another game that the class had picked up, and Bakugo refused to partake in, as usual.

But he had participated… for him?

Tokoyami hoped no one saw the way his feathers fluffed up at the thought as he tried to ignore the warmth that burst in his chest.

Chapter Text

There is something… different in the air around them now.

Tokoyami feels it in the way his skin seems to crawl with an itch he can’t quite scratch whenever he is around Bakugo or even when he simply so much as thinks of him.

Which seems to be all the time as of late.

Tokoyami was used to blending into the background, took comfort in the shadows as those who shined with radiance took to center stage. But lately, it seems as if the shadows had forsaken him… or perhaps it was more accurate to say that the light had engulfed him.

After all, it was impossible to remain forgotten in the shadows when a bright flame was shining right beside you.

Bakugo commanded attention, even when he did not ask for it. His loud and chaotic demeanor made it impossible to ever overlook him, and his sheer strength and genius made sure he was always at the center of everything. It had been that way since their first days of UA.

Even then, before recent developments, Tokoyami had not been impervious to his own gaze being drawn to the brilliance that was Bakugo, like a moth to a flame. A flame that was out of reach, volatile, destined to drown out the shadows that he called home.

Now, that flame seemed to have transformed into a hearth, providing a warmth Tokoyami had never thought possible, always within reach.

It was often the first thing he saw upon awakening and the last thing he saw before the Sandman claimed him. Even in the landscapes of his dreams, that light and warmth seemed ever present.

Tokoyami woke from such a dream to the feeling of that familiar thrumming beneath his skin, only stronger and more concentrated. Were it not for the familiar presence beside him, Tokoyami would have pulled away.

It was when he opened his eyes that he noticed he was in what was now a familiar way of waking, with Bakugo’s arm beneath him as Tokoyami lay pressed against his side.

The only difference about this morning, was the fact that Bakugo was currently caressing the back of Tokoyami’s hand that lay on Bakugo’s chest with his pointer finger, softly circling around each of Tokoyami’s knuckles before trailing up each digit and moving to the next methodically.

It caused that familiar warmth to trail across Tokoyami’s skin, up his arm, and to the core of his chest where his heart suddenly felt very much awake. Tokoyami followed the trajectory of Bakugo traveled until the rest of him felt just as awake as his racing heart.

“Is my hand particularly interesting this morning?”

Despite the volatility that Bakugo had once represented, Tokoyami found that it was easy to banter and tease him, and he wondered not for the first time just when he stopped fearing the flame.

“Hm… dunno. Was just thinking your hands are pretty small compared to mine.”

Tokoyami huffed.

“That might be because you just got a growth spurt. Not all of us can be so lucky.”

Bakugo did not stop in his ministrations, rather, he seemed to have deemed it fit to turn Tokoyami’s hand so that he could continue his exploration onto his palm and wrist now that he was awake.

“Did I? Haven’t noticed. But I guess that makes sense, since I’ve felt my jumps a bit off during training. Must be getting used to the new height.”

Tokoyami blinked as he watched the movement of Bakugo’s finger across his palm, and splayed his fingers in invitation, glad that Bakugo understood the message and splayed his own fingers as he moved his hand to press up against Tokoyami’s. Indeed, Bakugo’s fingers were at least an inch longer than Tokoyami’s.

“My father is decently tall. But my mother is quite petite. I hope that my genetics are generous and make my height closer to my father’s,” Tokoyami commented.

“Ah… what are your parents like?” Bakugo asked, not moving his hand away but curling his fingertips against the end of Tokoyami’s.

Tokoyami blinked at the question, trying to think of an adequate response. He didn’t often talk about his parents, although that was probably because people didn’t tend to ask.

“My parents… are normal, I suppose. My father is a salaryman and my mother a stay-at-home mom, although now that I’m away she has been considering getting a part time job to keep occupied.”

“Do you guys get along well?”

Tokoyami watched as his own fingers twitched against Bakugo’s, but neither pulled away.

“I…”

Tokoyami felt at a loss for words, realizing for the first time that because he had never talked to anyone about his parents, he had never been able to voice and maybe truly internalize his childhood to the fullest.

“That bad, huh?” Bakugo said.

There was no judgement in his comment, no pity either. Tokoyami appreciated it.

“They were never bad parents… I think perhaps just… a bit distant. My father has always been more on the serious and strict side, and disliked disarray and obnoxiousness, which meant I always had to be quiet and well mannered when he was around. My mother was just that, soft-spoken and obedient, which made her the perfect wife for him. She always kept a clean home and food ready when he got home from work. Neither were ever particularly good at providing physical displays of affections, but showed their love in other ways, and always provided for me with a home, food, and an education. They were not perfect, particularly when Dark Shadow first manifested and I was afraid of him. My father lacked the patience to deal with the way that sometimes my emotions would bring out the worst of Dark Shadow, and for a time, I really did believe he no longer loved me. My mother was not much better, and I only ever made her cry when I didn’t know what to do. In the end, I had to figure things out on my own, and it was only when I stopped fearing Dark Shadow that I was able to be their well-behaved son again. Things were a bit easier after that, and I always made sure to stay out of trouble and keep to myself. They never did have any more children after me, so perhaps one child was enough for them.”

So engrossed in his answer, Tokoyami did not notice that his and Bakugo’s fingers were now intertwined and wondered if he had been the one to do that or if it had been the other boy.

“You must have been lonely,” Bakugo replied, and Tokoyami couldn’t stop himself from tightening his grip around Bakugo’s hand. He would have pulled away, if it weren’t for the fact that Bakugo’s thumb began to gently stroke the side of the finger where it touched.

Tokoyami swallowed past the lump in his throat.

“Y-yes… it was lonely at times. But… I had Dark Shadow, and an active imagination and plenty of comics and books to keep me entertained.”

Bakugo chuckled, not unkindly so. “No wonder you were such a chuni when you first got here. Well, I’m sure they’ll be quite proud and impressed when you become a badass hero.”

Tokoyami only noticed how tense he had been when his body relaxed against his side instead.

“I…” Tokoyami allowed himself to burrow closer against Bakugo, “Thank you, Katsuki.”

Neither pulled their fingers away, and merely let their entwined hands rest on Bakugo’s chest.

“What about your family?” Tokoyami asked softly.

Bakugo continue to stroke Tokoyami’s hand with his thumb, almost absently, and Tokoyami wondered if he even realized he was doing it.

“I don’t have any siblings either. And my parents are okay. My mom can be really annoying at times, with her nagging and shit. But my dad is pretty chill. It doesn’t matter how loud me and my mom get when we butt heads, he always manages to keep his cool. He’s never once raised his voice at either me or my mom, and somehow that’s enough to make us realize when we’re outta hand and calms us down. Or he just lets us run out of steam, and when we’re calm again, we always know that he’ll be there, just waiting for us. Its… nice in a way. To be accepted for who we are, hotblooded as me and ma are.”

Tokoyami could hear the fondness in Bakugo’s voice and squeezed his hand slightly.

“There is nothing wrong with being hotblooded… on the contrary, I believe it an amazing thing. It means you are free spirited and passionate. The world needs people like you… people that can inspire and push forward when no one else can.”

This time, it was Bakugo’s hand that squeezed against his.

“Yeah?”

There was something about Bakugo’s voice, perhaps the throaty tinge to it, that made Tokoyami’s heart skip a beat, and urged him to look up with the sudden curiosity to know what kind of expression was on Bakugo’s face just then.

It was only when Tokoyami tilted his head up to be able to look at Bakugo’s face that he remembered who Bakugo Katsuki was. The red eyes that stared back seemed to flicker and emit heat that spread across Tokoyami gingerly at first, but only grew in intensity the more that Tokoyami looked back.

And there it was again. That thrumming beneath his skin that made Tokoyami feel as if his entire body was pulsing… with… what? He could never quite place it, having never felt something like it before. A sort of tension that needed release… but as if the key to it was just beyond his reach.

“BAKUGO! ARE YOU IN HERE? YOU PROMISED TO MAKE US BREAKFAST!”

Tokoyami wasn’t expecting the loud banging against Bakugo’s door, and both he and Bakugo jumped apart at the startling sound.

“I’M COMING IN—”

“DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE SHITTY HAIR! I’LL KILL YOU!”

“Good, you are in here. I didn’t wanna go wake Tokoyami—”

Despite the warning, Kirishima still opened the door and walked in, gaze zeroing in on the two boys in bed and eyes widening in surprise.

“Oh! Hey Tokoyami, you’re in here today. Oops, hope I didn’t wake you.”

“Good morning, Kirishima… I was already awake,” Tokoyami mumbled softly, head ducked against his chest as if trying to make himself as small as possible.

“YOU CARE ABOUT WAKING HIM AND NOT ME?”

Kirishima just rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly.

“Kinda? Listen, don’t shoot the messenger. The others are about to riot if they don’t get their promised Bakugo breakfast.”

“SINCE WHEN AM I YOUR PERSONAL CHEFF? I NEVER PROMISED SHIT!”

“But you said if we got the ingredients, you would make us those crepes! And we did!” Kirishima whined.

Bakugo was practically grinding his teeth together, and Tokoyami found himself reaching for Bakugo’s arm without realizing it until his hand made contact with familiarly warm skin.

“Katsuki, you did say that. I can help, if you’d like,” Tokoyami said softly.

Bakugo frowned and blinked back at him.

“Tch! Whatever. I’ll make the stupid crepes.”

“YAAAY! I’ll let the others know!”

“MAKE SURE TO TAKE OUT ALL THE INGREDIENTS!”

Kirishima was already gone, but there was no doubt in Tokoyami’s mind that he heard Bakugo’s last words.

“Tch. So annoying.”

Tokoyami just chuckled.

Bakugo got up from the bed and stretched. It wasn’t often that Tokoyami stayed in Bakugo’s room, which somehow made the familiar sight just a bit different. Bakugo kept a surprisingly neat and minimalistic room, with very little aside from the bed, desk, and dresser that came with the dorm. He had a mat and weights in one corner, and a pull up bar that he could attach to the door. He had a speaker on his desk, and signs of posters that had once been taped to the wall but had since been removed. He also had a small basketball hoop across from the bed which the two had used the night before. As expected, Bakugo had the superior aim.

“Wanna go for a run after breakfast?” Bakugo asked.

Tokoyami grimaced.

“Not… particularly.”

This time, it was Bakugo that chuckled, and turned to Tokoyami with a knowing smirk.

“But you will.”

Tokoyami sighed.

“If you insist…”

Tokoyami had never before felt as visible as he had since Bakugo became a constant in his life.

Contrary to what their classmates seemed to think, he and Bakugo were not always together. Yet they seemed to search for him when looking for Bakugo, or contacted him to ask a question that Bakugo seemed to be pointedly ignoring.

In short, Tokoyami felt nothing short of a middleman. An assistant almost. And not used to the visibility that came with a responsibility he did not ask for, he was beginning to have more empathy for Bakugo’s aversion to his friends and classmates.

Bakugo told him to ignore them.

Tokoyami tried, after his patience wore thin. But that usually just led to whoever was trying to contact him searching him out instead our doubling their efforts.

“I believe… we should change our phone numbers… perhaps transfer to another school…” Tokoyami said one night, after receiving four consecutive pings from two different people, both wanting him to create a study group with Bakugo in it to help them study for an upcoming exam.

Bakugo chuckled from his place on the bed, their homework on his lap as he completed the problem he was on while Tokoyami sat at the desk.

“I don’t know… I kinda like that they go to you instead of me now,” Bakugo replied.

Tokoyami huffed.

“I demand compensation.”

“Eh?” Bakugo quirked an eyebrow at him as he effortlessly and expertly spun the pencil between his fingers.

“Teach me to do that…” Tokoyami looked pointedly at the pencil that Bakugo was still spinning.

Bakugo barked out a laugh.

“You’re serious?”

Tokoyami nodded determinedly.

Bakugo smirked.

“You are serious… okay then. Deal.”

Bakugo swung his legs off the bed and sat up straight at the edge.

“Come here.”

Tokoyami had to wonder about the way his heart stuttered at what sounded more like a throaty command than a suggestion. A command that Tokoyami found himself easily following as he stood up from the desk, his own pencil in hand as he sat down next to the other boy.

No matter the distance between them, Tokoyami always felt the warmth that Bakugo seemed to emit when in the same room, and the closer he got, the warmer he felt.

Apparently, Tokoyami had not sat close enough, because Bakugo closed what little distance they still had as he scooted close enough that their arms brushed against each other, before he twisted his body so that his right hand was where they could both see it.

“So, the trick is moving your finger in the right ways, and practice to get the rhythm and speed right. There’s also different types of spins, but an easy one to start with is…”

And so, an hour passed them by before they knew it.

With Bakugo laughing at Tokoyami’s frustration as he tried to train his fingers to do the finer motions and coordination that spinning a pen required. Who knew something that Bakugo made look so easy was far more complicated than Tokoyami ever thought could be. Not to mention, who knew something like pen spinning had so many different types and techniques…

Still… it was... fun.

There had certainly been many fun days since Tokoyami arrived at UA. His classmates had made things lively and exciting. It was full of moments that Tokoyami had always seen from an outside perspective… but now he was on the inside.  Involved in.

UA had also been full of terrifying moments. Villains. Close calls. Heart pounding moments where Tokoyami hadn’t been sure if they would make it out. If it was the end of the line.

Somehow… in that moment in his room, with Bakugo laughing freely as Tokoyami dropped the pen for what felt like the thousandths time… it felt like a little of both.

Exhilarating and unnerving in the same stuttering breath that Tokoyami felt as if time stopped.

He had never seen Bakugo looked like he did just then.

Relaxed, unguarded, delighted.

A moment that felt just theirs.

“Okay, enough of that. Time for bed,” Bakugo said, and time was suddenly relevant again.

A sense of disappointment settled in the pit of Tokoyami’s stomach, only to be replaced by swirling butterflies when Bakugo wrapped his arms around his middle and practically threw him onto the bed before sprawling himself over him.

Bakugo was mostly muscle, and Tokoyami certainly felt the weight of him as he settled half of it atop of Tokoyami.

“Mm. This is comfortable,” Tokoyami said sarcastically.

He felt Bakugo’s answering chuckle against the side of his face and resisted the urge to shiver.

“We have not even changed…” Tokoyami added, hoping that Bakugo didn’t catch onto the breathless tone of his voice.

Loud snoring was his only answer, and Tokoyami laughed airily.

Bakugo’s weight was surprisingly comforting, and Tokoyami felt lighter than he had any right to. Enough that it was too easy for his hands to reach up to stroke Bakugo’s hair. He didn’t miss the way that the fake snoring abruptly stopped, and the way Bakugo’s body tensed.

But it didn’t matter.

Somehow, Tokoyami knew that it was okay. That he was allowed to do this, and Bakugo wouldn’t move away. Instead, Bakugo seemed to wrap tighter around him, and Tokoyami sighed.

“I like your laugh…” Tokoyami found himself adding.

There was a delayed response, but a response, nonetheless.

“Mm…”

“Mhm…”

There were no more words after that, but the silence that wrapped around them was comfortable, enough that made sleep easy to find.

Chapter Text

“Who is that?”

Bakugo’s tone was gruff as he narrowed his gaze at the picture of Tokoyami just outside the classroom door, talking to someone that only looked vaguely familiar given they were clearly from a different class.

Kirishima blinked as he glanced over in the direction that Bakugo was looking at.

“Oh, that’s Togaru Kamakiri, from class 1-B.”

Bakugo narrowed his gaze further.

“Since when does he visit Fumikage?” Bakugo found himself asking. He had long stopped trying to call Tokoyami by his first name in front of others, but only ever used the nickname with Tokoyami himself.

Bakugo took in the figure of the tall student with sharp looking blades that protruded from both sides of his face. The green hair and mohawk style was definitely a bit flashy.

“Hm… I think maybe last week? You were out sick. They were trading books or something.”

Bakugo’s gaze narrowed further.

“What books?”

Kirishima shrugged.

“Dunno. Didn’t ask.”

Bakugo watched as Togaru rubbed the back of his head as he said something to Tokoyami. It was hard to read his expression given his inhuman features, but having gotten used to being able to read Tokoyami so well, Bakugo would say that Togaru’s expression was one closer to embarrassment.

“He looks like a delinquent,” Bakugo muttered.

Kirishima blinked at Bakugo.

“So do you though…”

Bakugo turned his glare on Kirishima.

“Say that again, punk.”

As expected, Kirishima only grinned.

“What’s wrong? Jealous?”

Bakugo crossed his arms across his chest as he turned his glare back to the door where the duo was still talking.

“Feh! What’s there to be jealous of?”

“That your boyf—favorite person is giving someone else the time of day?” Kirishima easily countered.

Rather than reply, Bakugo only turned another heated glare on Kirishima.

Kirishima blinked under the piercing gaze, waiting for a just as heated retort. Only Bakugo didn’t say anything, merely stood up abruptly, and turned to walk towards the classroom door.

Kirishima watched with a knowing grin as Bakugo abruptly grabbed Tokoyami by the elbow, making the shadow wielding boy turn sharply to look at Bakugo with wide eyes, and in the blink of an eye, Bakugo pulled Tokoyami down the hall.

Togaru could only blink in confusion as he was left standing alone outside the classroom, before shrugging and walking the other way.

“Katsuki… I was in the middle of a conversation,” Tokoyami admonished, although Bakugo could hardly say there was any true anger behind it.

“And I’m hungry. You were taking too long.”

“It was hardly five minutes...”

“Five minutes too long…”

Tokoyami sighed but allowed himself to be pulled towards the cafeteria.

“Please refrain from such rudeness next time. Now I’ll have to apologize to Togaru.”

Bakugo’s hold on Tokoyami’s arm tightened.

“You don’t have to do shit…” he practically mumbled, just loud enough that Tokoyami could hear.

“But I do. It’s called manners Katsuki…” Tokoyami replied with a sigh.

Bakugo scoffed, but said nothing else as his hold shifted from his arm to his hand, but didn’t let go until they reached the cafeteria and they needed their hands for their food.

“So, how are things going with Kachan?”

Tokoyami blinked as he looked back at Midoriya who only smiled back at him. It wasn’t a mischievous smile like he would expect from anyone else either, but a genuine smile that only Midoriya could sport with his question.

“What do you mean?” Tokoyami asked, just as genuinely.

Midoriya tilted his head in confusion, before realization and a hint of embarrassment seeped in.

“Um, I guess however you want it to mean? You know, Kachan has never been the easiest person to get along with—but he seems to get along really well with you—I’ve never seen him like how he is with you—but you know we only ever have an outsider’s perspective and I wanted to check in with you and see how you feel about it.”

Tokoyami blinked some more, more puzzled than before after Midoriya’s ramblings.

“As you say… Katsuki and I get along pleasantly. I’ve had no difficulty… despite his brash attitude, he has never done anything unforgiveable.”

Midoriya nodded stiffly followed by an awkward laugh.

“T-that’s wonderful! I’m glad you two are so close. I think you’ve been a good influence on him!”

“I’m glad you think so. He is likewise a positive influence on me. He helps me train and motivates me to put in more effort.”

Midoriya’s gaze softened at the reply, and his smile was once more genuine.

“Yeah… he does tend to do that doesn’t he?”

“Bakugo Katsuki, I like you… please go out with me!”

Bakugo’s gaze narrowed at the dark haired girl with purple glasses whose name he had forgotten already and all he remembered was that she was from the department of management class.

It certainly wasn’t the first time that Bakugo had been confessed to, and while it was more so an annoyance than any kind of flattery, he had to bite back a snarky remark as was his normal response when a familiar red and admonishing gaze flashed through his mind’s eye.

“It’s called manners, Katsuki.”

“Everyone deserves respect until proven otherwise.”

God, he was even hearing his voice chide him in his own head now. Maybe he was spending too much time with birdbrain.

“Uh… thanks but I’m not really interested,” he replied gruffly instead as he gave himself a mental pat on the back.

Normally he would have gone with something like thanks but no thanks, and just walked away. This time, he even forced himself to stay long enough to witness the look of dejection on her face.

“I see…” she replied softly.

Bakugo was stumped. He had never stayed this long after a confession and had no idea what was polite in this situation.

“I understand if it’s because you don’t really know me… but if that’s the case, we can get to know each other first before anything!”

Oh. She wanted a reason.

“No, I just don’t want to date… you.”

Well, that certainly didn’t sound polite… but how else could he say it? What was the point of mincing words?

The girl’s eyes widened.

“Oh… I see. You’re interested in someone else…”

Bakugo frowned, but found that his mouth did not offer a rebuttal.

The girl smiled sadly and nodded, but Bakugo could see that she felt appeased, and felt no further need to clarify.

“Well, best of luck! I’ll cheer for you!”

Bakugo nodded as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned away.

Well, that was easy enough. And he showed manners and respect.

“Feh…” Bakugo mumbled under his breath.

“Alright, so today’s study session includes the usual! If you get a question wrong, the punishment is truth or dare. If you can’t do either, you have to do twenty pushups or 10 pullups!”

The gathered group of students of class 1-A nodded in understanding. As it turned out, this form of studying had proven to be effective since they first tried it out. It made them more likely to remember the wrong answers and if they got something wrong, they got some training in regardless.

They called it high-stakes study sessions, which ultimately also made things fun for most of the students.

The first few rounds went as usual, with a mix of correct and incorrect answers. Usually, if someone got the answer correct, they could choose who went after them, while if someone did not answer correctly, the next person would be picked randomly from an app on one of their phones.

“Ah, sorry Tokoyami! The answer is actually B. The DFJA.”

The class let out a chorus of ‘oooohs’ and looked expectantly at Tokoyami.

“I suppose I’ll choose truth,” Tokoyami said.

He had learned that people always used their worst dares first, and it was better to start with a truth.

“Okay, truth! Who would you rather date and why? Todoroki or Urakaka?”

There was another chorus of ‘ooohs’ and several snickers while Todoroki looked unfazed and Uraraka sheepish.

Tokoyami immediately felt apprehensive about answering such a question, but they had learned from previous similar study sessions that everyone knew not to take anything too seriously, and were typically good sports about it. If anything these types of questions would often serve as a way to get to know each other better and bond.

“I….” Tokoyami frowned, seriously pondering the options, “That is hard. I feel both of you have very similar personalities… both of you give off a calming aura, are considerate and kind, and very diligent with a strong work ethic.”

Uraraka actually blushed, while Todoroki remained unfazed.

“Mm… I suppose Uraraka if I had to choose. Simply to avoid the family drama.”

Mostly everyone burst into laughter, and even Todoroki sported a grin.

“Can’t argue with you there…” Todoroki said after the laughter died down.

“What an honest answer. Thank you, Tokoyami! Alright, next!”

Kirishima was next, who also got his question wrong and chose to do a dare, which comprised of attempting to do the latest hottest idol dance and post it to his social media story.

It soon became apparent that this was not a normal study session, because it was apparent that whenever someone did get the answer right, they would always choose either Tokoyami or Bakugo as the next one to answer a question.

And per usual, Bakugo tended to rarely get a question wrong, and it was Tokoyami that was more likely to get a wrong answer.

And it became increasingly obvious what the aim was considering the nature of the questions and dares.

“Who do you feel the most safe with in this room?”

“What would be your ideal type of date activity?”

“Text your crush what you like the most about them.”

“Tell us about your first kiss, or if you haven’t had it, how would you imagine it?”

“When you have good news, who is the first person you want to tell?”

“Let everyone hear read your last text conversation with… your favorite person in this room.”

“Tell everyone your favorite thing about the person you last texted.”

Tokoyami were getting increasingly uncomfortable while Bakugo irritable, and both opted for taking the punishment rather than answer the question or perform the dare.

“Alright Tokoyami, dare. Kiss someone in this room.”

Before anyone could react to the dare, Bakugo briskly stood up.

“Enough of this shit! We’re done!”

Without pause, Bakugo walked over to where Tokoyami sat and grabbed him by the arm before dragging him away.

Rather than feeling disgruntled, Tokoyami felt relieved as he let himself be pulled away from their classmates.

Said classmates looked at each other with a mix of worried and sheepish looks.

“Did we go too far?”

“Or just far enough?”

“I guess we’ll see later…”

“Let’s go take a walk…” Bakugo said as he led them towards the exit of their building, stopping only to put on their shoes before heading outside.

Tokoyami remained silent, aware of the tightly wound and irritated boy next to him. He couldn’t blame him of course. He himself couldn’t say he was exactly happy in that moment, although he certainly wasn’t to the level that Bakugo was certainly feeling just then.

It was only after they were some ways away from their dorm building and they weren’t visible that Bakugo finally spoke again.

“Those bastards! What do they take us for? Do they think we’re idiots or something?” the blonde growled out.

Tokoyami sighed and came to a stop and looked at the ground.

Bakugo turned when he realized Tokoyami had stopped. His face scrunched to one of concern as he quickly approached the dark feathered boy, his hand unconsciously reaching down to grab one of Tokoyami’s.

“Fumi, don’t let them get to you. I swear I’ll kick their asses—”

“Katsuki…” Tokoyami cut him off, looking up to look him in the eye, “Are we dating?”

Bakugo’s eyes widened in shock, but Tokoyami’s own grip on his hand seemed to ground him before his mind could spiral.

After all… hadn’t he already asked himself that very question?

It was the only reason he already had a response to the obvious question.

“Do you want to?” he whispered softly, forcing himself to keep his gaze onto Tokoyami’s own as he looked into the familiar red eyes. He could feel both their hands trembling, his own heart was now hammering in his chest to the point he could practically hear it in his ears. He felt like a kicked puppy the way he was practically hunched over as he waited for Tokoyami’s response.

Tokoyami’s feathers fluffed up in that way that told Bakugo the other boy was flustered, and despite the situation, he couldn’t help but feel that familiar feeling of accomplishment and warmth that accompanied the word cute that he associated with Tokoyami.

“I… think the answer is obvious. We already spend most of our time together. We practically go on dates every week… we sleep in each other’s room most of the time, we tell each other things we don’t tell anyone else… we even hold hands... What else does dating entail that we don’t already do?”

Tokoyami certainly wasn’t expecting the grin on Bakugo’s face.

“Well… there is one thing we haven’t done…”

Tokoyami felt his eyes widen, already having an inkling of what Bakugo was thinking.

“We haven’t kissed…” Bakugo confirmed Tokoyami’s thought, his red eyes drifting down to his beak.

Tokoyami’s mind went blank as his heart raced and he almost forgot how to breathe.

“I… I don’t have lips…” Tokoyami finally managed to say.

He certainly wasn’t expecting Bakugo to blink before a short laugh escaped him.

“That’s what your first thought is?”

Tokoyami glared at Bakugo.

“Well, forgive me if this is an insecurity of mine! I’ve never kissed anyone before… I could never even bring myself to imagine how I even would without lips…”

Tokoyami didn’t expect Bakugo’s arms to wrap around his waist, closing the distance between their bodies but keeping a respectable distance between their faces.

“Answer me…. Do you want to date me?”

There was such a seriousness to Bakugo’s question that Tokoyami froze, but the unusual vulnerability reflected in the red gaze he had learned to look forward to seeing made it an easy answer to find.

“Of course I do… if you’d be satisfied with someone like me…”

The look of relief on Bakugo’s face was also unexpected, as was the way that the taller boy leaned down and let his forehead rest on Tokoyami’s shoulder.

“Are you fucking kidding me? You’re the one more likely to regret this…”

It was only then that Tokoyami was able to muster the strength to wrap his own arms around Bakugo.

“I highly doubt that…”

“Just so you know… even if we couldn’t kiss… I’d still want to date you. I’d preen you if that’s what it took…”

“Katsuki!” with an indignant cry, Tokoyami pushed Bakugo away, “I’m not a bird!”

Bakugo laughed, before once more wrapping his arms around Tokoyami, who half heartily struggled within his hold.

“I’m just kidding… besides. We won’t know if we can kiss or not until we try. Want to try?”

Tokoyami froze in his arms.

“W-wait… right now?! Isn’t that a bit s-sudden?”

“According to you, we’ve been dating for a while. Isn’t it about time we have our first kiss? But you’re right… we should make sure we don’t have eyes on us… seeing how intrusive those extras are…”

“T-that’s not the issue here!”

But Bakugo wasn’t having any of it as he began to use more pull Tokoyami by their intertwined their hands, finally finding refuge behind some trees and a building that should be empty of any students around that time.

“How about now? Is this ideal? Because I really want to find out whether we can kiss or not, if that’s such a big concern for you…”

The moon gave a certain glint to Bakugo’s red eyes as they stared down into Tokoyami’s where he had been caged by Bakugo’s arms, his back against the bark of a tree behind him.

“I… suppose…”

Bakugo’s eyes darkened as he leaned in closer, his breath ghosting against his beak.

“I need to hear you say it Fumi… do you want me to kiss you?”

Tokoyami once more raised his arms and brought them up so he could grasp onto Bakugo’s shirt, mostly to ground himself as he felt himself go lightheaded, half afraid that his knees might buckle if he didn’t hold onto something.

Honestly… how could this make him feel as flustered as it did? Had they not already woken up entangled into more compromising positions than this before? Still… that had been different. They had been fools back then, ignoring the obvious feelings growing between them and disregarding them as nothing more than friendly affection, even when they both knew they could not bring themselves to be in similar situations with any of their other friends.

“I do… I want you to kiss me…” Tokoyami finally gasped out.

It was all Bakugo needed to hear, and the smile that graced his lips made Tokoyami’s heart flutter, not for the first time, and the butterflies in his stomach fluttered at the way that Bakugo gently caressed the side of his face, in that way that Bakugo had never seemed capable of before Tokoyami got to know him more. Even more so with the knowledge that Tokoyami knew that he was the only one that was able to see this side of Bakugo.

“Just so you know… I think I’ve wanted to do this for a while now… I just… wasn’t sure how to go about it. Or if you even felt the same… or if I was just confused. But I guess hearing those idiots pester us with those questions made me realize I want to be that person for you. The person that you feel the most safe with, the one you like more than anyone else, the one you share everything with. I want us to keep doing what we’ve already been doing… and more. I want to be able to call you my boyfriend… and be yours.”

Tokoyami’s grip on Bakugo tightened.

“For someone that claimed to be eager to kiss me… you seem to have a lot to say right now.”

Bakugo chuckled.

“This is why I like you… you’re not afraid to be sassy. Forgive me for trying to make the mood more romantic for you…”

“While I appreciate the effort, I am afraid I might die from the anticipation and humiliation if you do not kiss me right now.”

Bakugo chuckled once more, before finally leaning forward and placing a soft kiss onto the side of Tokoyami’s beak. Tokoyami gasped at the sensation, an electrifying shock that he didn’t expect running down his spine at the contact, causing his eyes to flutter close.

Bakugo seemed to notice, because he repeated the action, this time trailing lower, closer to the entrance of Tokoyami’s mouth. Tokoyami practically jumped at the sensation, even more so when he actually felt Bakugo’s tongue tentatively poke at the entrance.

His eyes snapped open, while simultaneously his mouth closed, causing a yelp from the other man as Tokoyami gasped.

“Motherfucker!” cried Bakugo as he pulled away and cradled his mouth that held the tongue that Tokoyami accidentally bit.

“I’m sorry Katsuki! You shocked me! You didn’t tell me you were going to… to…” Tokoyami couldn’t even bring himself to say it through the wave of embarrassment that engulfed him as he fought between the urge to shrink into himself or reach out for Bakugo to make sure he was okay and he hadn’t done too much damage.

In the end, it didn’t seem he needed to move, because Bakugo once more closed in, pressing his forehead against Tokoyami’s. For once, Tokoyami was glad for his feathers, because he couldn’t imagine just how red his face would be in that moment.

“It’s fine, I’m okay, no blood or anything. I just figured the logical way for us to kiss would be to… well, for our tongues to do it for us if we both want to be active participants.”

Tokoyami was in awe, for Bakugo to be able to say something like that out loud as casually and matter of fact as he did… how was he so cool about everything when he himself felt like he was about to combust into flames.

“I suppose that makes sense… if you don’t mind… I’d like to try again…”

Bakugo nodded against Tokoyami, the brushing of their foreheads sending pleasurable ripples through Tokoyami’s heart.

“We can try as many times as you’d like…” Bakugo replied.

This time, it was Bakugo that was surprised when Tokoyami took the lead, this time being the one to reach up to cup his own face and tilting his head to maneuver his beak against his own mouth. Bakugo felt his heart stutter and his body shiver when it was Tokoyami’s tongue to venture against his mouth, causing a bolt of electricity to short circuit his brain as his mind went blank and all he could do was close his eyes and let out a breathy fuck as he the pain from being bit earlier was completely forgotten as his own tongue eagerly met with Tokoyami’s.

Their hold on each other tightened, and all they could focus on was the feeling of each other as their breath became labored and their heads lightheaded. With a groan, they pulled apart and looked at each other.

“Wow…”

“I concur.”

Once more, Bakugo leaned his forehead against Tokoyami’s as they gazed into each other’s eyes.

“We could have been doing that this whole time?” Bakugo commented, and Tokoyami chuckled.

“Perhaps but… we can always make up for lost time.”

With a smirk, Bakugo leaned in once more.

After a few more minutes of practicing and making up for lost time, the two pulled away and smiled at each other.

Despite what was clearly a monumental moment for them, a sense of peace surrounded them, because even though they had crossed a line both had been to nervous to acknowledge before, the time they had spent together had led to a deep understanding of each other that made this moment effortless and natural.

“Katsuki… we should head back inside.  Dark Shadow is also getting restless.”

Bakugo nodded.

“I’m surprised they haven’t come out already and congratulated us and made a scene…”

“Oh believe me… they want to. I can practically hear the squealing going on inside. They’re being surprisingly considerate of this moment…”

Bakugo chuckled.

“I’ll have to make sure to thank em later… but… I’m still pissed at everyone else…” Bakugo grumbled.

Tokoyami nodded.

“I understand but… they meant well… and it did push us to finally have this conversation…”

Bakugo’s eyes narrowed as he practically pouted.

“But… if it would make you feel better… why don’t we get back at them?” Tokoyami offered.

Bakugo quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh? Is my boyfriend actually thinking of forgoing manners and participating in petty revenge…?”

Tokoyami averted his gaze, surprised with just how much being called boyfriend affected him. This was dangerous indeed…

“Well, sometimes lessons must be taught… when boundaries are crossed.”

“What do you have in mind?” Bakugo asked.

“It won’t be easy, but I think it’ll send the message across…”

Tokoyami proceeded to tell Bakugo his plan. When he was done, Bakugo practically cackled with delight.

“Holy shit babe… you have no idea how hot you are to me right now…”

Tokoyami believed him, with the way Bakugo looked like he wanted to devour him then and there.

“It definitely won’t be easy… but for the look on their faces, I think it’ll be more than worth it…” Bakugo added.

“We really fucked up didn’t we?” Kaminari said as not for the first time, Tokoyami completely ignored Bakugo as he left to go get food with his old group of friends while Bakugo went in a different direction by himself.

“They really haven’t talked or been together all week… what if we really did push too far?” Mina pointed out dejectedly.

“C’mon guys, it’s only been a week… maybe they just need time to think about things… you know? A rough patch…” Kirishima tried to appease, hoping to keep an optimistic viewpoint on what was clearly a situation of shared guilt.

Despite the words of reassurance, the fog of guilt and regret remained, bringing their spirits down as they each sighed sadly.

As another week passed, it was harder and harder to tell themselves that their actions hadn’t had the opposite effect of what they hoped. Tokoyami and Bakugo had still not returned to their previous selves together. While they were polite and cordial with each other when needed, it was a far cry from how inseparable they had once been.

The guilt from the rest of the class was also clearly palpable, no one quite capable of knowing how to properly act around either of the two boys without feeling the crushing weight of guilt on their shoulders. The awkwardness that permeated their class was so palpable that even the teachers could see and feel it, but when prompted on it, no one was willing to let the teachers in on the full story.

Which was why, when it came to their now routine high-stakes study sessions, even those that tended to be the most excited for them found it hard to muster the usual enthusiasm for the event. There were talks of just cancelling the session and opting for self-study instead.

“So, we doing this or what? Cause if not, I’m heading to bed.”

Surprisingly, it was Bakugo that prompted the rest of the class to address the elephant in the room.

“Well… maybe we should skip this session. I mean, I don’t think there’s much material to cover for this next quiz anyway…” Kirishima offered as he rubbed the back of his head.

“If this is about what happened last time… please rest assured there are no hard feelings. These study sessions have been beneficial to many of us. It would be a shame to stop them now,” Tokoyami calmly responded.

The rest of the students shared a look of unease, but found that it was hard to deny the honest and mature response.

“I don’t give a shit either,” Bakugo gruffly agreed.

“Well… I suppose…”

Despite the attempt, it was hard to muster the usual carefree atmosphere when the awkwardness remained. Everyone was taking the session more seriously than ever, and their truths and dares were the most tame they had ever been, with everyone only asking easy and safe questions and dares.

It was to the point everyone was practically rushing through the session, trying to get through it to escape the overwhelming cloud that threatened to suffocate them. Even more so when it came to Tokoyami’s turn, with non-other than Bakugo as the recipient of the question.

Everyone tensed, several people practically holding their breath as they watched the two interact for the first time in what seemed like forever.

Even more surprisingly, Bakugo got the question wrong. Which although not impossible, it was certainly rare.

With a huff, Bakugo seemingly glared at Tokoyami.

“Give me a dare, Tokoyami.”

Many resisted the urge to grimace as Bakugo addressed Tokoyami without the usual first name, yet despite the obvious change, Tokoyami seemed as calm and collected as always, merely nodding in understanding.

“Very well, Bakugo.”

The chasm between the two became even more apparent, and the weight of the cloud around the class increased tenfold. Some of them even felt like they might actually cry from the tension of it all.

Tokoyami sighed, crossing his hands on his lap calmly.

“My dare to you is… to come here and kiss me…”

Wait… huh…

Bakugo smirked as he looked back at Tokoyami with a victorious glint in his eyes.

“Sure thing… babe.”

“WHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!”