Chapter Text
Kirishima made the mistake of sending the photo at 13:38 PM.
The photo itself isn't suspicious, Bakugou and Shouto walking across campus.
Coffee in hand, half asleep.
Clearly exhausted.
Nothing unusual.
The caption, however, is a disaster.
'Guys.'
Within thirty seconds, Ashido has entered cardiac arrest.
----
The emergency meeting begins at13:42.
Unfortunately, neither of the people being discussed were invited.
"Okay." Ashido slams both hands on the common room table.
"Explain."
Kirishima raises his phone. "I found them."
"WHERE."
"Near the dorms."
"WHEN."
"An hour ago."
The room collectively leans forward.
Jirou immediately regrets participating. Momo looks concerned. Kaminari looks thrilled.
"Why are they carrying coffee."
"Because people drink coffee."
"That's not the point."
"It's kind of the point."
"It isn't."
Ashido points dramatically at the screen "They look tired."
"They are tired."
"Why."
Kirishima pauses.
The room goes silent.
"...I don't know."
Nobody believes him.
----
The situation worsens at lunch.
Mostly because Shouto arrives first.
Alone.
Looking tired.
The class immediately becomes suspicious Shouto narrowed her eyes almost immediately.
"What did you do."
"Nothing."
"You did something."
"We're offended."
"You're lying."
The conversation ends there.
Mostly because Bakugou walks in.
Also tired, carrying coffee.
The entire table stops functioning, Kaminari drops a spoon.
Ashido makes a sound that should not be physically possible. Kirishima slowly lowers his head into his hands.
Bakugou notices immediately.
"...Why do you all look like that."
Nobody answers.
Because nobody trusts themselves.
----
The interrogation begins ten minutes later against everyone's better judgment.
"Where were you last night?"
Bakugou doesn't even look up from his breakfast "Garage Three."
The room freezes, Shouto continues eating.
"Doing what."
"Talking."
The room freezes harder, Ashido looks seconds away from exploding.
"Until when."
"Three."
"THREE?" Several nearby tables turn around.
Jirou immediately covers her face, Momo is staring at the ceiling.
Kaminari is crying.
Actual tears.
"Three in the MORNING?"
"Yeah."
Bakugou frowns "Why are you yelling."
Nobody can answer that.
Mostly because nobody knows where to start.
----
The rest of the weekend is unbearable.
Not because anything happens, but because nothing happens.
Every time Katsuki and Shouto are seen together, someone starts laughing.
Every time they aren't together, someone starts looking for them.
The investigation evolves. Again.
Kirishima upgrades from a notebook to an actual binder.
Nobody is allowed to see the binder.
This somehow makes it worse.
----
By evening Shouto finds herself distracted.
Not by the rumors, not even by the investigation.
By Friday morning.
The garage.
The conversation.
The morning.
Little moments keep returning unexpectedly.
The way the rain sounded against the roof, the way neither of them left.
The way he answered her questions.
Simple, direct, honest.
Because it was true.
For some reason, that answer keeps replaying in her head.
Which is annoying.
Very annoying.
----
By Sunday evening, the academy is finally quiet again.
Most students are preparing for another week of hard work.
The dorms are calmer, the common room is empty.
For once, nobody is asking questions.
Shouto sits alone on her bed, her phone rests in her hands.
She should be studying.
Instead, she opens her gallery.
Immediately, she regrets it.
Because the photo is still there Bakugou asleep in Garage Three.
Head resting against the workbench.
Completely unaware.
Completely unguarded.
The picture isn't particularly good.
The lighting is terrible.
The angle is questionable.
Objectively speaking, it's a terrible photograph.
She should delete it she knows she should.
The thought lasts approximately three seconds.
Then she locks her phone.
The photo remains exactly where it is, safe inside her camera roll.
Undeleted for no reason whatsoever.
On the other side of the dorms floor, Bakugou is having a remarkably similar problem.
Because every time he closes his eyes, he keeps remembering Friday morning.
The sunlight through the garage windows, the coffee.
The walk across campus, the brief moment his hand closed around her arm before he even realized what he was doing.
Annoying.
Extremely annoying.
Neither of them sleeps particularly well that night.
And somehow, neither realizes the exact same reason is keeping them awake.