Mind Boggled

Chapter 53

1-A was slowly coming to as they tiredly chatted with one another, still exhausted from their trek through the woods the day prior. Dinner had been filling and had definitely helped them get some of their energy back, but the aches and pains still bit at them. Izuku, ever the genius, had snuck in two bottles of Advil and was rationing it out like this was war. Kirishima had watched as Bakugo almost exploded when Izuku offered him some first. Had the redhead not known about the explosive blonde's crush, it would've looked like he was just pissed. Now he could see that it was pent up frustration-- not anger. Kirishima could almost relate. His just... didn't come out hostile though. 

"Hey, Mr. Aizawa!" Ochako chirped as the man shuffled into view, looking tense. "Where's Harper?" 

Everyone turned to their teacher at that, eyes searching for any signs of their exhausted peer. Harper's presence was pretty noticeable. She gave off a chill vibe that had a warning undertone. Like if she wanted to, she could bite your head off. But she was probably too tired to try. Kirishima loved that about her. Which wasn't saying that much considering he loved everything about her, but still! It was most definitely noteworthy. 

"Shut it." Aizawa snapped. It was so unexpectedly aggressive that even Kirishima flinched. "She's asleep.

Everyone quieted down. Kirishima felt his shoulders tense. Asleep? Did he say... asleep? As in, she was sleeping right now? Laying down, not conscious at all, resting? He didn't look like he was joking. His face was dead serious, and there was a threat in his eyes. He was for real right now. Harper was asleep! He could throw a party with how big of an accomplishment this was. How had they not woken her up with their thoughts? Kirishima wasn't the mind reader here, but he knew that some of their classmates had to be extremely loud in the mornings. Mentally, that is.

"Holy shit." Kirishima said under his breath, suddenly afraid to move. Were his thoughts too loud right now? Was he accidentally directing them towards her by thinking about her? What did he do? He needed to meditate. Let his mind go numb. 

"What? Why does she get to sleep in?" Kaminari's voice was anything but quiet. Kirishima's head whipped in his direction, his mouth twisted into a frown. He was against ripping people's throats out, but he wasn't going to lie, he was ready to make that sacrifice. Harper was an insomniac constantly on the verge of snapping were life's inconveniences suddenly too much to bear. Even just an extra hour or two of sleep could go miles for her. 

"Shut up, you fucking idiot." Bakugo hissed as quietly as he could. It was actually a bit of a surprise to hear him speak up for her, but Kirishima wasn't complaining. Everyone was at least a little afraid of Bakugo, if not completely terrified. If anyone could shut them up, it was him. "Can't you tell by the bags under her fucking eyes? That bitch doesn't sleep."

"Revelry in the dark." Tokoyami seemed to agree. Kirishima eyed him wearily. He couldn't help but wonder if the feathered teen was thinking about My Little Pony or Care Bears right now... That seemed to be a common theme with him, right? From what Harper said, it was. And Koda was probably thinking about murder... that was unsettling. Maybe that's why he and Koda got along so well. 

"Yeah, she's always chugging coffee in class. And we're not supposed to drink anything." Mina said, her tone hushed. She glanced from side to side as if she expected someone else to be listening. "If Mr. Aizawa allows her to do it, it must be serious."

"She mentioned once that she normally gets three hours a night most commonly. If she can get rest here, we should definitely let her." Hagakure said, earning several nods and mildly concerned glances. Three hours a night? While going to UA and helping the police? How was she even still alive? Kirishima asked himself this daily. He was beyond proud, but he was also beyond worried.