Dare To Love You (Bakugo X Reader)

Chapter 12

Bakugo's POV

L/n pinned me to the ground, face down, sitting on the small of my back to keep me down.

Her hands gripped my fists tightly. She was obviously determined to win.

Cute.

I pretended to struggle a bit before going still.

"Yes! I win!" she cheered, throwing her hands in the air.

Smirking, I threw her off me and propelled myself high into the air with my quirk. I landed on top of her in a straddle.

I restrained her arms behind her and sat down on her lower back, just as she had done to me.

"Who said I conceded?" I sneered.

She looked up at me perplexedly.

"B-b-but-" she spluttered, her face pressed against the grass.

"But what? The rules are that you have to concede, get knocked out, or become incompetent. So, do you concede?"

She wriggled around, her legs flailing around before giving up.

"Ugh, whatever. Again!"

I jumped off her and readied myself for whatever she would throw at me.

~*~

Y/n's POV

The days of training passed by. The whole school was vigorously preparing day and night, making the time go by quickly.

Now the day of the festival had come, and the anticipation around it was never higher.

After surviving the mob of reporters in front of the school, I turned a corner and was surprised to see a crowd around the 1-A door.

Seriously? Another mob?

As I got closer, I saw that they were all in school uniforms and weren't acting violently.

I slipped through them into the class and stood beside Bakugo.

"What are the other classes doing here?" I asked him.

"Scouting out the competition, idiot."

That makes sense, I thought. We're the class that survived a real villain attack.

Bakugo stepped forward, glaring down our observers.

"At least now you know what a future pro hero looks like. Now fuck off," he growled.

The kids at the front of the group stepped back, their foreheads shiny with sweat.

I was surprised by how intimidated they got. I guess I never really looked at Bakugo like that. I haven't received any retaliation from him, other than some incoherent yelling.

I found his hostility not menacing, but charming . . . and also a little cute.

Cursing myself for my last thought, I returned my attention to reality. A purple-haired guy seemed to be ridiculing us about something.

" . . . And if we perform well enough in the festival, the teachers can decide to transfer us to the hero course. And, they'll transfer people out to make room."

I walked up to the door and swerved in front of a steaming Bakugo.

"Yeah yeah yeah, we get it! Feeling sooo intimated! You can leave now! . . . Also, you're looking kinda ill. I would recommend some blush . . . you know, to look alive."

I flashed him a sarcastic smile and used my quirk to slam the door shut in his face.

The class resumed their prep for the day.

"Jeez, Bakugo, you can really intimidate people. That one kid looked about ready to piss himself!" I laughed as we walk to our desks.

"Tch. Whatever," he said gruffly, plopping into his seat in front of me.

~*~

*tick*

*tick*

*tick*

The 1-A room was quiet except for the seconds ticking by on the clock and the crowd in the stadium, muffled by the cinderblock walls.

People sat around tables, either gazing into space absently or intently staring at the clock.

No one even made eye contact; the stakes felt too high for that.

I fidgeted with the hem of my uniform that had been given to me upon entry, reviewing strategies and techniques.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and a tense Iida stood in the doorway.

"It's time! They're about to announce us! Move, move, move!" he ordered before streaking away.

Everyone scrambled out of their seats, heading towards the door.

Before Bakugo could walk away, I grabbed his shoulder. He turned back in surprise.

"Hey," I said.

"What?"

"I just want you to know that . . . you've got this. You're gonna do great."

His brows furrowed, and he yanked his shoulder out of my grasp.

" I know! Shouldn't you be worried about yourself? Your quirk is weak. You should be trying to fix it with your shitty personality."

His words grated into my heart, cutting deep.

"What's your problem?! You've been weird all day, and I just let it go!" I said, taking a step back.

My eyes welled up with tears that I was determined to keep from falling.

"Fuck OFF!" he roared and slammed the door.

As the impact of the door reverbed through my body, the tears spilled over, flowing freely down my cheeks.

~*~

Bakugo's POV

I stormed off to join the others.

I knew exactly what 'my problem' was. While training for the sports festival, I had realized how hard I would have to work to achieve my dream. That meant I couldn't get sidetracked.

Though I was perplexed with my feeling towards L/n, I knew that she was a distraction, and I would have to cut her off.

She would join a long line of people that threatened to divert my path to the spot of number 1 hero.

I lined up behind Kirishima at our entrance to the stadium.

"Hey bro! Are you ready for this? Cause I'm pumped!" he said, stupidly punching the air.

"Whatever," I replied, not wanting to hear his voice at the moment.

"Is something wrong? You seem . . . regretful."

Wow, he can read me like the morning paper. How irritating.

"No! Now stop talking!" I snarled.

At that moment, L/n came around the corner and lined up behind me. I noticed she kept her distance from me. I also noticed that her eyes looked slightly puffy and red.

She's been crying . . . and I do not care, I convinced myself.

Kiri noticed her, and upon seeing her state, he looked back at me knowingly, though he wisely kept quiet.

Present Mic's voice boomed through the stadium, announcing our class.

"You know them for withstanding a villain attack; the dazzling students lighting up your TV's with solid gold skills: The hero course students of class 1-A!"

I strolled into the stadium with my classmates, and as the sun washed over us like a cleansing light, I vowed to forget the drama, the pain . . . and L/n- go.

I will win this.

~*~

Don't fret; things work out! This is a bakugo x reader after all.

Thank you for reading! Votes and comments are highly appreciated!<3