saudade [Bakugou K. X reader] [Book two]

[E I G H T E E N]

[From this point on, the story has returned to the READER'S point of view.]

[Song recommendation: Cold --- Maroon 5 ft. Future]

[Warning: None]

[Chapter Eighteen]

I looked down at the pen in my hand, watching as the end trembled violently because of how bad my hands shook. I tightened my grip, hoping that it would steady it, but it did nothing. I sighed. I would just have to deal with messy handwriting.

As a gift from Power Loader and Mei, both of them cleared out the old conference room down the hall and added in some of the tech from the classroom. Various monitors were scattered about the room, power blocks carefully placed behind them. There was a printer and a scanner along one wall, a 3-D printer just a few feet away from that. Tables were placed around in a semi-circle, which is where I sat.

Different screens were projected around me, each with different sets of statistics; diagnostic results from what remained of my poor AI systems. Katsuki kept teasing me about being so upset over them getting destroyed, knowing that I could fix them. But he didn't really understand. I poured my heart into this shit. I.V.A.N was my very first project.

After I finished copying down what I read on the screens, I moved the notebook away and brought my keyboard closer. I propped my elbow on the table as I rested my chin in my palm. My right leg was tucked under me, the other extended and propped up on the stool under the table.

I looked over as the cracked door was pushed open, revealing my mother and my father. I sat up straighter, surprised to see them both here. I minimized all of my tabs and stood up, facing them as they walked into the room.

"We were wondering where you spent most of your time," My father said. "It doesn't surprise me to see you in here."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "What can I say? I get bored easily. I need some form of entertainment."

"Did you make these?" My mother asked, pointing to a resin copy of my helmet. I took it from the shelf.

"It's just a prototype I made using the 3-D printer," I said, turning it over in my hands. "Once I was happy with this, I used a different material and created my real helmet."

"I'm glad to see that you're able to use that big brain of yours," She chuckled. I rolled my eyes playfully and returned the item to the shelf it lay on.

"What are you guys doing here, anyway?" I asked.

"We just came to see how you were doing," My father said. "We got a little worried when you didn't call or stop by for a few days."

I couldn't help but feel guilty. It was true. I hadn't even so much as given them a call to tell them how I was. I had gotten so caught up in my work that it didn't even cross my mind. It seemed like a lot of stuff was slipping past me. Wait.