Infected (Katsuki Bakugo x Reader)

14) Belonging

I pull the mask over my face, the thin cut in the material still there from my encounter a couple nights ago. I stop in front of the mirror in the bathroom, looking at my reflection. My skin was pale, the veins barely visible from the overuse of my quirk the day before, the dark circles beneath my eyes standing out. While I spent a major part of the day and night sleeping, the after effects still read clearly. I slowly make my way down to the common room. The coffee pot running tells me I'm not alone. As expected, I turn seeing Aizawa sitting at the table reading his daily paper.

"Good evening." I say, sliding his mug to his side of the table.  He grunts in response, continuing to scan the articles in front of him. At least he's back to normal. I pour a little creamer and a small dash of sugar to my cup, stirring till the coffee mixture is a lighter shade of brown before sitting in front of Aizawa and begin absently scrolling on my phone. I see Aizawa look over his paper at me out of the corner of my eye.

"I thought you liked your coffee black?" I look up into his dark eyes. He gives me a small smile across the table.

"Well, yes. But they only had watered down black coffee at the shelter. Sometimes, adding the other stuff just feels like a reward or something." I take a sip, the warmth spreading through my body.

"Hm. Noted." He fold his paper and lays it on the table before leaning back in his seat, mug in hand. "How has this week been for you so far?"

"It's been-it's been okay. I'm exhausted. I've enjoyed the patrols and training, but I kind of miss my friends. The silence here has been a lot." He nods as he looks at me over his mug. He clasps his hands around the mug as he leans forward.

"I understand. Having a taste of something and not having it can be hard. I bet the other students miss you too, though. Plus there's just a few more days of this." I nod in response, the silence between us felt foreign. From the way he was shifting in his seat, I could tell he felt uncomfortable.

"I'm not mad at you, you know." I say softly. A faint smile spreads across his lips as he runs a hand over the stubble on his face.

"I know. I'm sorry I over reacted. To be honest, you're the first student I've ever had shadow me so I guess we're both learning."

~*~

The cool night air felt nice. Being cooped up in my dorm and Midnight's apartment for the last day had me feeling a little caged. Aizawa walked a few steps behind me, never picking up pace as we walked the streets. The night had been uneventful so far, even the usual  lingering pedestrians long gone by the time our rounds started. The buzzing of neon signs rising with the gentle breeze.

As I pass a dumpster, a cat jumps from the small opening. I gasp softly, startled by the sudden noise. I look behind me and Aizawa already had his scarf pulled down and had a protective hand holding my wrist. I see his expression soften as he lets go of me to adjust the capture weapon.

"Eraserhead?" I speak softly. It wasn't like him to be so jumpy. He looks up at me and I catch a glimpse of his bloodshot eyes through his goggles. He had activated his quirk. "It's just a stray cat." He nods as he puts his hands back in his pockets.

"I can see that." He walks past me this time. I see him roll his shoulders and stretch briefly before following behind him. I adjust my face covering as I walk a couple steps behind him. I can see his face turn slightly as we walk past alleyways. He's scanning the perimeter. I try to ignore the frustration building in my gut. His nervous demeanor that he was trying so hard to mask.

I look ahead of him and see the small coffee shop he and I regularly visited on our patrols. The closer we get to the shop, the closer I walk to him. As we near the shop, the moon illuminates a hint of leather following behind me. I feel anger building deep in my gut. I grab Aizawa's sleeve, causing him to jump. I narrow my eyes at him as he looks down in my direction.