2am Knows All Secrets [Kiribaku]

miles to go before I sleep

He wasn't stalking Bakugou. He was just keeping an eye on him, looking out for little oddities, hints of what might be going on behind the scenes. That was all. He tried to be discreet about it, too, a few glances here and there during their morning warm-ups to see if it really was as bad as he feared.

Each glance made his heart sink even more.

The spark in Bakugou's eyes was gone, the bags under them dark and puffy. Had his movements always been that lethargic? Were his shoulders always that tense? Somehow, even their standard-issue gym uniform looked unkempt on him. Not even Kaminari could pull that off, no matter how much he tried. And he did try.

This was all from a distance, though. Half-looks snuck in here and there, and as Eijirou studied Bakugou across the gym all morning, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe it was all in his head. After everything, maybe he was too protective of Bakugou, too sensitive, too vigilant. Always on the lookout for any sign that something was wrong, no matter how slight. Maybe if he got Bakugou one-on-one, his fears could be put to rest.

That lunch, Eijirou searched the cafeteria for a familiar poof of blond hair, with not much luck. The pesky frown his face had been stuck in all morning deepened even more.

At any rate, they had Hero Training that afternoon, with costumes and support gear and everything. When Eijirou finished his eel bowl early, rather than stick around chatting, he headed to Class 1-A to grab his costume case.

As he slid the door open, he froze.

In the dark room, Bakugou sat hunched over his desk, arms caged around his head, dead to the world. No lunch tray, no evidence of a meal. All for a few extra minutes of shut-eye.

Eijirou winced. That couldn't be healthy.

He slid the door shut behind him with a gentle thud. At the noise, Bakugou jerked, eyes open and wide and frantically searching the room. When his gaze settled on Eijirou, he huffed. Looked away.

Just how long had this been building up? And why'd it taken so long for Eijirou to truly notice?

This wasn't the one-on-one he'd meant, but maybe it was the best chance he was gonna get. Eijirou opened his mouth to say something — he didn't know what yet but he'd think of something — but just then, the door slid open and Shoji and Asui filed in, flipping on the light switch as they did. Eijirou promptly shut his mouth, grabbed his costume case from its cubby, and headed to Gym Gamma.

Thankfully, Hero Training went alright. No doubt in part due to their classmates leaving a wide berth around Bakugou at all times. Even Kaminari, and that was saying something, because Kaminari liked pressing all of Bakugou's buttons every chance he got.

So, that was probably for the best.

Eijirou wondered if it was just chance, or if maybe they saw it, too. The exhaustion in Bakugou's posture, his haggard expression, his unfocused, bloodshot eyes. Maybe it made them just as uneasy as it made him.

Confirmation came soon enough. After Hero Training wrapped up that evening, they returned to the dorm in one large mass, crashing in the common room in a pile of sore muscles and grumbled complaints. But when Bakugou stepped out of the genkan, a hush fell over the room. Eijirou startled at the sudden quiet and noticed his classmates exchanging wary glances. He turned back to Bakugou, watched his shoulders draw up toward his ears, ignoring the eyes following him as he walked to the stairwell. As soon as he was out of sight, the room swelled with murmurs.

"Hey, Kirishima?" Kaminari called, plopping down on the couch next to him. He tilted his head, gesturing toward the staircase. "Uh, what's up with him?"