Up in Smoke (Soulmate AU)

Coffee and Strawberries.

I can't sleep.

Maybe it was the sound of her boyfriend's muffled snoring coming from the speakers in her earbuds. Something that would be lulling any other night but seemed to bounce against her skull this one in particular. She thought that counting his breaths might be entertaining enough ~ or in this case repetitious enough to help her fall into a slumber. But if anything that kept her even more alert. His breathing would skip, she noticed, and couldn't help but worry that could be dangerous in the future. Her mother had sleep apnea and stuttering breaths were a household worry when she was younger. Maybe she'd bring it up to him in the morning. Maybe that was it. But no, it was probably just the tenuous stinging coming from her left wrist.

Strawberries. She was craving them. She didn't know why ~ She wasn't even a big fan of them. How bitter they could be at the wrong time, even when their earliest greens had faded. Somehow the packaging would always bring them in sour and finding the sweet ones was always a gamble. But right now that seemed like a gamble she'd be willing to take.

She glanced at the utility bar on her phone. "2:28 am" She still had time to sleep after this and that was good.

She leaned to whisper in the mic on her headphones, though it'd probably be in vain. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Midoriya grumbled affirmatively on his side, mumbling out what was likely supposed to be an "Okay" but only came out as zombish groaning. She giggled a little as she slid off of her bed.

Cold. The windows weren't even open. Which was weird because she ran hot naturally. Her quirk turning her insides into a natural furnace ~ she could get hot, lemme tell you. But, rarely ever cold. She wondered if her soulmate was cold right now. She wondered if he was okay. She'd been doing that a lot recently.

There was a U.A. sweatshirt sitting on her desk that she had slipped over her head on her way out. The All Might pin clicking against the material as she adjusted it. It still smelled like him and that made her happy. He always made her so happy. He cared so much and was so accepting of her, even when seeing the pattern of her scales ~ the cold-blooded nature of the men and women before her so ingrained in the way she functioned, and the venom that coursed throughout her veins. He didn't look at her and see poison like most people did when they found out about her. He looked at her as the person she was, and she treasured that. She treasured him. And I guess that would explain why he did no wrong in her eyes.

She stepped out of the elevator onto the hallway leading to the community room. The lights dim as she turned to pass the threshold. She half-considered dialing up the lights to get a better view of her path to the kitchen, but decided against it when she noticed Sero's head leaning off the armrest of the main couch. Kaminari beside him, his hand rubbing against one of his eyes as he settled on the loveseat neighboring the duvet. He noticed her as he pulled his blanket over his shoulder and offered her a friendly wave. She waved back with a gentle smile.

The kitchen. The soles of her slippers scratched against the solid floors in contrast to the carpet. The light was already on which stung at first, but the refrigerator was close enough to reach for while her eyes adjusted. Let's see...Almond milk...half eaten bento...cold soba...Neufchâtel?...Ah-ha! Strawberries.

She held the package in her hand as she pushed the door to a close, the plastic opening with a crisp crunch that sounded like glass breaking with how quiet the room was. She was leading one into her mouth when her eyes met a pair of carmine staring right back at her.