Prompt: [….] is concerned because Y/N isn’t sleeping.
Author’s Note: This was written for the BNHA Sanctuary SFW Collab! Make sure you check out the original post to find a list of everyone’s fics. Happy reading~ Also, xīngān is a chinese term of endearment. According to this site:
“…literally means ‘heart and liver.’ While that might sound a bit too bloody for Westerners, the term is used to recognize the most important person, without whom you cannot live without.”
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Being in the hero course could be pretty stressful at times, even more so in class A because everyone had their eyes on them. Even more stressful, however, was getting partnered up with the foul-mouthed, hot-headed Bakugo Katsuki. As if one assignment wasn’t bad enough, you had been paired up with him on two different assignments. Your friends made sure to offer their condolences for your bad luck, but you really wanted to try and make this work.
The first assignment was to write a short play in English and, being half-American and spending your childhood in America, this came easy to you. Bakugo himself wasn’t fluent in English, but knew enough to properly understand. There was a small argument about what the subject would be, but you conceded in order to placate his growing temper.
The play was going to be about the number one hero, LordXplosionMurder, and how he overthrew all of his enemies in order to reach the top.
The second assignment was a bit more complicated for you. Because heroes often have to work together, the assignment was to find a way where your quirks complimented one another, combining them to form a super move. The problem was that Bakugo was far superior in both physical combat and quirk control and he didn’t work well with others. He forced you into following his training regimen, threatening to beat your ass if you fell too far behind.
You had gone through a lot of training in order to successfully enter the hero course, but his regimen was just ridiculous and you were seriously struggling. Determined to keep up with the ash-blonde, thus proving yourself worthy and not getting your ass kicked by him, you decided it would be a good idea to forfeit sleep so you could dedicate more time to the training program he had given you. At first, your muscles just felt super sore and your body tired, but as the days slowly passed by, you really started to feel the effects.
The biggest change was how forgetful you were becoming, not remembering to do simple tasks that you were used to doing. You became moody, snapping at the smallest of provocations only to immediately apologize with teary eyes. You even fell down a couple of times, your tired brain unable to react in time to keep your balance.
To say that your friends were worried would be a massive understatement, but they knew how stubborn you could be and how badly you wanted to prove yourself to the ash-blonde, so they did they only thing they could think of that would help.
They told your boyfriend.
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You sat at the desk in your dorm room, staring down at the Hero Law textbook as you read the first paragraph again for the hundredth time, but your brain was simply incapable of processing a single word. You felt so sluggish, body in a state where you were so tired, you would be far too tired to actually sleep even if you tried. So, you could only sit and stare at the paragraph, hoping that the words would magically register in your brain.
You wanted nothing more than to stop looking at that damn paragraph, but your grades had begun to slip and Aizawa was not happy about it, so you had to force yourself to study, even if it wasn’t actually doing anything for you. At least you’re trying.
“Xīngān?” A concerned voice reached your ears and you felt a cool hand rest on your shoulder.
Your eyes widened in surprise, snapping up to meet his. You hadn’t even heard the door being opened. Did he knock? Why was he in class A’s dorm? They were off limits to anyone outside of the class and if Aizawa found out, he’d be pretty angry. “H-Hiryuu…?” The throbbing in your temple was getting worse, making your face tense up as you tried to suppress a wince of pain.
Rin huffed, hands moving to his hips as his dark eyes shimmered with concern. “What are you doing to yourself, xīngān? Why haven’t you been sleeping? Do you know how dangerous that is?”
Your shoulders sagged at his scolding tone, tears pricking at your eyes. Because the two of you were in different classes and had different schedules, you didn’t get to see each other nearly as much as you’d like to and yet… he still found out about your poor life choices. He was upset with you, rightfully so, and that filled you with guilt because you hated it when he was upset. “I’m so-sorry,” you cried, desperately trying to wipe away the tears but they kept falling.
Rin’s expression softened and he didn’t hesitate to pull you into his arms, fingers combing through your hair as he whispered sweet nothings to you in Chinese, something he had learned early on to be a comfort to you. You clutched onto his shirt for dear life, stuffing your face into his chest. His heartbeat against your forehead was a major comfort to you, even if it was beating a bit faster than normal.
He shifted so he could bring his arms under your body, lifting you against his chest before bringing you over to the bed. It felt exceptionally soft beneath your exhausted body. After settling down beside you, keeping you protectively caged within his arms, he softly questioned you. “Will you tell me why you have stopped sleeping?”
Taking a shaky breath, you began to express how you were feeling and, once the words started to tumble from your lips, they refused to stop, falling quickly and without pause. Mixing this with your hiccups made it difficult for him to process, but he got the gist of it – Bakugo was the cause, pushing you way too far past your limits. Anger coursed throughout his body, but it wasn’t just aimed toward the ash-blonde. Part of the blame, he decided, fell on himself.
You were his partner, the person he loved more than life itself, but he hadn’t noticed how much you had been struggling the past week. Granted, he had only been able to see you once and that was only in passing during lunch, but he should have made more of an effort to check in on you. He wouldn’t make that mistake anymore.
His arms tightened around your body, feeling you slowly start to relax against him. His thumb gently brushed away the leftover tears beneath your eye, his skin cool against your own heated skin.
“I’m sorry…” you mumbled, eyes heavy as you struggled against the sleep that was rapidly claiming you.
“Rest now, xīngān. We can talk more in the morning, okay?” His lips were soft against the top of your head and, for the first time in a week, the smile that came to your lips was genuine.
“I love you,” you whispered before sleep finally claimed you, your breathing evening out as the tension left your body.
Rin’s heart soared at the declaration, unable to stop the wide grin spreading across his face. He leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of your ear, hoping that his words would reach you within your dreams. “Wǒ ài nǐ, forever and always, Y/N.”
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Bakugo’s vermilion eyes shifted over when Rin approached him before class, standing beside the ash-blonde’s desk with a determined expression upon his face. The other students exchanged worried looks, their bodies tensed as they prepared to intervene if necessary.
“The fuck do you -”
“Stop being so damn hard on Y/N.” Rin ordered, not missing the anger that flashed through his eyes. While he was prepared to defend himself if necessary, he didn’t come here to fight with Bakugo. “They are doing their absolute best to please you because they’re scared of you!”
Something indistinguishable flashed through his eyes, but it was gone as quick as it came. “It’s not my damn fault they’re so weak!”
“Weak?” Rin echoed in disbelief. “Just because someone isn’t as strong as you does not make them weak! Y/N is very strong and they work their ass off with both their training and studies! Not only that, but they are kind and humble. Maybe you should takes notes from them.”
“What did you just say, you damned extra?!” Bakugo jumped to his feet, small explosions going off in his palm – an intimidation tactic that was lost on Rin.
“I said -”
“Hiryuu?” You appeared in the doorway, glancing between the two tense males with a frown. “What’s going on?”
Rin shot the ash-blonde a warning look before turning on his heel and closing the distance with a soft smile. “I was just thanking your classmates for looking after you when I’m not around.” His cool hands rested on your upper arms. “Are you sure you’re up to class? If you need more rest, I am sure Aizawa-sensei will understand.”
His concern made your heart flutter and you smiled happily. “I’ll take it easy today, I promise.”
“You better,” he mumbled teasingly, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips just as the warning bell chimed throughout the school. “I’ll come pick you up at lunch, xīngān.”
“Okay~” You chirped happily, leaning closer to take one more soft kiss from his lips before he headed to his own class down the hall.
