Author's Note: To my Patreon members, you will notice that I have changed the ending of this chapter. Please do not share what changes were made, as I will be introducing it later but in a more impactful way.

Studies have shown that having a morning routine helps increase productivity, decrease stress, and allows one to better focus their mind for the day to come. For some, that meant checking their emails while others preferred to start their days with a relaxing shower. For Katsuki Bakugou it meant immediately dropping to the floor to hammer out one-hundred push-ups at the sound of his 5:30 am alarm, which was consistently the first sound to break the morning silence in the 1-A Alliance Dormitory.

Bakugou knew his classmates liked to poke fun at him behind his back for his early self-assigned bedtime, but he could ignore their jibes so long as it meant he had the first hour of the day to himself, uninterrupted by the others. Despite what he knew everyone thought about him, he did have his own ways to relax. But he also knew if his peers ever discovered just how much he enjoyed cooking he would never hear the end of it. So, he woke early enough to take pleasure in his morning routing while still hiding it from the other inhabitants of the dormitory.

Throwing on a burgundy t-shirt, he made his way downstairs still in his pajamas, doing his best to stifle a yawn. As much as he hated having to live with his classmates, the state-of-the-art kitchen UA had provided served as compensation, though just barely. This particular morning, he was rather looking forward to cooking up some tamagoyaki.

Stepping into the kitchen, he threw open the large fridge and pulled out several cartons of eggs. He'd been sure to pick up enough the other day to serve twenty-one people, not that he'd ever tell anyone that. Cracking each egg with masterful precision, he whisked the first batch until he was satisfied with their consistency. Next, he added a dash of soy sauce and mirin, a measured amount of sugar and just a bit of salt to draw out the sweetness before setting aside the mixture to grab his skillet from beneath the island sink.

Resurfacing from behind the counter, Bakugou turned on the stove and had just finished oiling the pan when his eyes landed on an unexpected observer sitting on the couch in the attached living room. How long had that blindfolded bastard been sitting there? And how had he not noticed him? He must have walked right past him without even noticing.

"Your oil's going to burn." (L/N) said plainly, not bothering to look at Bakugou.

With a growl, Bakugou turned his attention back to his cooking. He would have yelled at (L/N) were he not afraid of waking the others. Plus, tamagoyaki was not a dish he could leave unattended. He looked up briefly as (L/N) made his way for the sink, pouring himself a glass of water.

"You're rolling the eggs wrong." He said as he took a sip.

"What the hell'd you just say?"

"You need to move the pan while you're rolling the eggs," (L/N) set his glass down, "not just use the chopsticks."

"Like you know anything about cooking." Bakugou scoffed.

With a shrug, (L/N) refilled his glass and returned to his spot on the couch. He was surprised to find Bakugou awake this early, he thought to himself as he drank his water. He hadn't been expecting anyone else to be up at this hour. The only reason he was even awake was because he was used to having a two hour walk to school each morning.

In the kitchen Bakugou was still glowering at (L/N) out of the corner of his eye. Considering the other man's words, he discretely held the pan beneath the counter, almost like he was afraid of someone seeing, and flicked the pan as he rolled the tamagoyaki. To his surprise (and irritation), he found the chopsticks slid beneath the layer of eggs allowing him to roll them easier.

"Hey, blindfold!" Bakugou called angrily. "Get in here!"

Dreading what he knew was an inevitable tirade of shouted insults, (L/N) shuffled back to the kitchen, glass still in hand.

"How'd you know to do that?"

"Do what?"

"That!" Bakugou repeated irritably. "With the pan!"

(L/N) simply shrugged.

"Do you know how to stop the middle layers from bubbling?"

"Yes."

"Show me."

Stepping aside, Bakugou handed the pan off to (L/N) and watched as he regreased the pan and poured out the next layer of egg mixture before covering it with the first. Katsuki's eyes narrowed at (L/N)'s next action. He poked small holes in the top layer with the chopsticks. Of course! Doing this allowed the gases to escape from beneath the first sheet of egg, stopping them from being trapped in the form of bubbles.

Cursing under his breath, Bakugou snatched the skillet back from (L/N). Setting his cup in the sink, (L/N) was about to return to the sitting area when Bakugou's aggravated growl stopped him.

"How are you with salmon?"

[My Hero Academia]

Toru Hakagure groaned as she opened her eyes to be greeted with the morning light creeping in through the cracks in her curtains. She hated when she woke up before her alarm. She grumpily turned her back to the light and tried to go back to sleep, but then the alluring smell of grilled fish tickled her nostrils, causing her mouth to water and her stomach to growl. Still in her pajamas, she shuffled through the halls and down the stairs, wiping the sleep from her eyes as she did so. Reaching the ground floor, she was met with the strangest scene she had ever witnessed in her life.

For a moment she thought she was still dreaming, because never would she imagine seeing Katuski Bakugou tending to a boiling pot with an apron hanging from his neck. But the young man's angry yelling confirmed for her that she was no longer asleep. Or maybe she was? Because the person he was yelling at... was (L/N), who was dicing green onions and garlic with the speed of a professional chef.

"Whatcha got cooking there, Bakugou?" Denki Kaminari asked, descending the stairs that led to the boys' bedrooms.

Over the next fifteen minutes, the rest of Class 1A slowly trickled down the stairs, each person more dumbfounded than the last at the sight of Bakugou and (L/N) expertly weaving through the kitchen as though they had worked together as sous chefs for years. Kaminari was the first person to grab a bowl from the cabinets. He was just about to reach for the large bowl of rice when he was stopped by both Bakugou and (L/N).

"Hey, hands off!" Katsuki shouted as (L/N) quickly swiped the bowl away.

"Aw, come on." Kaminari whined. "You can't possibly be telling me you two are going to eat all of this yourself."

"Shut up!" Bakugou yelled.

"Obviously not." (L/N) shook his head.

"Then why can't I..."

"Because it's not finished yet!" Bakugou yelled as he angrily hammered his fist overtop Kaminari's head.

"Why don't you do something useful and set the table." (L/N) said irritably, shoving a stack of plates into Kaminari's arms.

Grumbling, the blonde slouched out of the kitchen over to a laughing Ashido, Sero, and Kirishima. "I don't think I like that combination very much. Nothing good can come of that friendship."

"I wouldn't say that until you've tried their cooking." Sero said.

By seven o'clock, (L/N) and Bakugou had finished their work. There was enough tamagoyaki for everyone to have seconds, a mountain of white rice and pounds of grilled salmon and okonomiyaki. Their classmates eyed the feast hungrily, eager to dig in. They all cheered their thanks when Bakugou finally said they could eat, scrambling over each other to fill their plates.

Iida, Todoroki, Tsu, and Yaoyorozu all patiently waited for the frenzy to die down. They smiled in amusement at their classmates behavior, but only one seemed to notice as (L/N) snuck away from the kitchen and out the front doors of the building. Grabbing her own plate of food, Yaoyorozu politely excused herself as Ashido tried to wave her down, following (L/N) outside. She thought she would have to search for him, but instead found him sitting in the grass, his back leaning against the concrete of the raised lanai with his plate of food sitting on the porch.

"Do you mind if I join you?" She asked.

He didn't answer, so she took his silence to mean yes. She lowered herself so she sat on the porch with her legs hanging over the edge, toes just barely grazing the grass. As she settled herself, she saw (L/N) start to move, and for a second, she was afraid he was going to storm off again, the same way he had that evening at the training camp. She fumbled with her plate however, when instead of leaving, he rested the side of his head against her knee. Blushing furiously, she tentatively brushed the hair from his face eliciting a low sigh of contentment from him. Smiling, she picked up her fork and began to eat.

From the second the first piece of fish hit her tongue; Yaoyorozu was left speechless. The salmon had been grilled to perfection, the richness of the fat drawing out the salmon's natural umami in an incredible balance of flavor. Even having grown up accustomed to gourmet food on a daily basis, everything on the plate was absolutely divine.

"I had no idea you could cook." Yaoyorozu said, stunned. "Where did you learn?"

"The orphanage."

"The kitchen staff taught you?"

(L/N) shook his head. "There were cookbooks and uh... other reference material. Like I said, I... I like to read."

"Speaking of, I was wondering if... maybe you'd like to, uh... to read t-together again, sometime?"

"O-Okay." (L/N) stammered.

Blushing, but smiling nonetheless, Yaoyorozu continued with her breakfast, consciously aware of the feeling of (L/N)'s head resting against her thigh. As the sun slowly continued its ascent and long after she had finished her food, they continued to sit together. A silence began to linger between the two, but Yaoyorozu smiled at how comfortable a silence it was. To her, it signaled a return to familiarity between them, and possibly, she hoped, the start of something new. She wished they could stay sitting there forever, but time stopped for no one.

"We should probably get ready for class." She said reluctantly.

Silently agreeing with her, (L/N) grabbed his bag which was already at his side and threw the strap over his shoulder.

"I was thinking we could... that is, if you wanted to, maybe we could walk to school together?" Momo suggested.

"Uh, y-yes." (L/N) stammered. "W-We could. Should."

"Okay." Yaoyorozu beamed. "I'll be back in twenty minutes, then we can go."

Smiling over her shoulder at him, she stepped back inside to find most of the others had returned to their rooms to get ready for the school day. Iida, Todoroki, and Midorya whom had already changed were standing in the kitchen, washing and drying the dishes from breakfast.

Once in her room, Momo changed out of her sleep things and gently placed them in her hamper before making her way to her closet and pulling her school uniform from its hanger. Getting dressed, she put up her hair and grabbed her backpack, giving her room a final quick scan to ensure she wasn't forgetting anything. She was just about satisfied when her eyes landed upon a small bottle of perfume sitting on her vanity. Pausing, she took a moment to recall how (L/N) had mentioned how she smelled nice whenever she'd worn it in the past. Rocking back and forth on her heels, she decidedly backtracked and applied a few spritz.

A few other groups had already departed for the main campus by the time she returned to (L/N), who had taken a seat on the front steps.

"Ready?" Momo asked as he got back to his feet.

Nodding, the two stood on the steps, looking at the ground to hide their identical blushes. Reaching out, Yaoyorozu took (L/N)'s hand and the two stepped out into the light of the morning sun to begin the new day.