Work Text:
Grading, needless to say, was a pain in Aizawa's ass.
He sighed as he wrote a big 33% on Kaminari's paper. He had fifteen more of them to get through.
halfway through marking Iida's work, there was a firm, aggressive knock on his door.
Aizawa blinked. His eyes darted to the clock on His wall. It was one AM. who could that be?
He went to open the door, and was surprised to see who was there.
Bakugo stared up at him, his crimson coloured eyes looking glassy, and his face wet.
"Bakugo!? What are you still doing awake, kid? It's one in the morning.."
The teen boy just kept gazing up at him. "Yeah.. I know.."
there was something in his voice that made Aizawa worry. It sounded tired and sad and showed no sign of Bakugo's usual arrogance and anger.
No. Instead, he just sounded exhausted and sad.
Aizawa without even realising, reached out and touched his shoulder. "Is something wrong?"
Now, Bakugo was smiling, but it was clearly sarcastic. "Nope. Nothing's wrong. Not like I got fucking kidnapped recently or any shit like that." The fake smile grew wider.
A lot of people wouldn't have been impressed with his snark, but Aizawa knew the boy was obviously upset.
"Do you want to come in?" Aizawa gestured to the inside of his own room.
Bakugo closed his eyes and exhaled before nodding.
"Sit wherever you like." Aizawa instructed. Bakugo sat down on the sofa and rested his head on his hand.
Aizawa pulled a chair over and sat across from his student. Bakugo looked incredibly tense.
"Have you slept at all?"
"Yeah. But- fuck it. Never mind." Aizawa was curious as to what he was going to say.
"Did something happen whole you were asleep? Like a nightmare or something?"
".. Stupid, isn't it..?"
So, it had been a nightmare.
"Bakugo.."
Bakugo ducked his head away from his teacher as if he were ashamed. "You don't need to tell me how pathetic it fuckin' is, I already know."
"Kid, no- you shouldn't be ashamed of that."
Bakugo just kept his gaze, looking endlessly at the older person.
"... I can't get back to sleep.."
" ... Why don't you go lay down?"
Still looking like he could drop dead at any moment, Bakugo got up and walked to Aizawa's bed.
***
"Comfy?"
A nod. Aizawa gave him a slight smile.
"Now, you should try to get some sleep. I'll be here."
Bakugo looked sad and like he was thinking of something that pained him to think of. "Kay." Was all he said.
Aizawa went back to grading his papers but kept sneaking occasional glances at his student. It was obvious he wasn't sleeping yet. It had only been a few minutes since he laid down, and Bakugo never slept that still anyway.
"... Mister 'Zawa..?"
" Yes...? "
"Tell me a story."
Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "What kind of story?"
Bakugo gave an annoyed breath. "Dunno. Something where the bad guy loses and the good guy wins."
Bakugo seemed mad at himself. probably for asking for something which in his eyes and mindset, was childish.
Aizawa however, didn't mind how childish of a request it was. He instead started nosing around a nearby book shelf.
He found something he thought the teen would be alright with and brought the chair from earlier over to the bed. Sitting next to his student, Aizawa started to read.
"Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, “and what is the use of a book,” thought Alice “without pictures or conversations?”
***
"Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood: and how she would gather about her other little children, and make their eyes bright and uheager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago: and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days. The end."
Aizawa looked down with a fond smile at Bakugo, who was now laying fast asleep, his arm over his stomach and his mouth slightly open.
Aizawa felt a twinge at his heart. He softly breathed out as he climbed into bed next to his student, laying a hand defensively on his shoulder.
Bakugo somehow looked younger when he was asleep. His face was a lot more lax, and his snoring gentle and quiet.
It was adorable.
Aizawa tried to shake that thought out of his mind, he knew the danger of getting attached to the kids after all.
Bakugo whined meekly and cuddled into his arm.
Aizawa felt his heart melting.
"Fuck." He thought.
He closed his eyes as he pulled Bakugo gingerly against his chest. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair and murmured soothing words into his ear.
A few minutes later, Aizawa fell half-asleep himself at two fifteen AM. Needless to say, he was thankful it was the weekend.
The sound of his and Bakugo's breathing was all he could hear before sleep properly claimed him.