Family First (Bakugo x female reader)

Chapter 24

I wake up with a throbbing stabbing pain in my head. The side is more painful than the back. I can feel my heartbeat in the injury. There's an ice pack pressed to it and I open my eyes, only able to get my right eye open a little due to the swelling.

I sit up with a groan, taking in my surroundings and tossing the ice pack to the side. It's my old room in my father's house and it hasn't changed since I left. The bed is still covered with the quilt my mother made for me and the desk is still scattered with old outlines of books I never thought would make good stories.

"Good. You're up." My dad says from the side of my bed, relief evident in his voice. He's in the same clothes as last night and it looks like he slept in the chair he's in.

"What time is it?" I look out the window and the sun is streaming through the window.

"About one." He replies, reaching for my face and touching it gently. Pain shoots through the injury and I flinch away from his touch. "I should have stopped him. I'm sorry. You did win that fight, he just let his anger get away from him."

"Where is he? I'd like to hear the apology from him."

"You were lucky that there are no skull fractures and were only left with a concussion." He ignores my question.

"Where is Embris?" I ask, getting a little worried for his safety. My father is a strong believer of an eye for an eye and then some. If I feel this bad, there's no doubt in my mind that Embris feels worse.

"He's in his room. Recovering." He leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. "I had a doctor look at you while you were sleeping. He prescribed rest. You'll stay here until you're better."

"I'm going home."

"You are home."

"This place stopped feeling like home when mom died." Tears threaten to fall from my eyes. If it's from pain or from the memory of her, I don't know. It could be both.

"I know you're in pain, but you don't need to lash out at me right now." He grabs my hand, rubbing his thumb along the back of it. It's cold compared to Bakugo's touch.

I put my hand in my pocket to fish out my phone. It's barely got a charge left, but it's enough to see a couple messages and a missed call from my favorite hero. One message was last night, one was this morning. It looks like I just missed the call.

"I'm going home." I stand, head spinning. I brace myself on the headboard, letting myself get steady before continuing toward the door.

"You can barely walk a straight line, how do you think you're going to get home?" My dad walks over to help me down the hall. I stop in front of Embris' door and poke my head in. He's still sleeping, a matching ice pack on the unscarred side of his face. I close his door quietly and continue to the top of the stairs.

"Good thing you insist on having Spencer take me to and from dinner." I reply, holding onto the railing on the stairs to support most of my weight.

"Spencer has errands to run for me this afternoon."

"Has he left yet?"

"No."

"Good. Then he can drop me off first."

"Why are you being so stubborn." His grip on my arm tightens painfully as he tries to keep his anger in check.

"I guess I'm like my father that way." I reply, trying to pull my arm out of his grip. He closes his fingers more. "Let. Go."

"Or what? You'll turn me to stone?"

"Don't tempt me. I might take more than your finger this time."