This Means War [Bakugo x Chubby Reader]

Chapter 42

The next couple of days had been a little embarrassing. Deku has taken to BRUTAL teasing anytime Katsuki would be anything less than enthusiastic during the mission.

"Can you tell your exhibitionist boyfriend to stop acting like an ass about the paperwork?"

"I'm sorry to call but I think your boyfriend who can't seem to live without you for longer than a week might listen to you if you tell him to do this."

It has been so unbearably effective I almost have an automatic shame reaction to Izuku's calls. One time Katsuki managed to text me goodnight and I said "Go to sleep". That was the only contact I've had with him the past couple of days, so I have no idea where his head is, but I have a feeling he has to be pissed off.

I was about to go to lunch when I got a call from Katsuki. I ignored the first one but picked up the second call.

"Deku is gonna kill you." I said.

"I'd like to see him try."

"Are you supposed to be talking to me right now?"

"Don't wanna talk to me?"

"I just...don't want to get you in trouble."

"Mission's over. I'm back home filing a report."

I relaxed my shoulders.

"Okay. Good." I hesitated before saying it but felt like I needed to since I was so cold these past couple of days. "I missed you."

"Couldn't tell."

"Wow. This is what I get for my sacrifice."

He chuckled a bit before resuming his typing.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes and No."

"Elaborate."

"I was there for stealth and gathering information so in a way that was boring as shit. But it's also part of being a hero and just knowing that made it worth it." He stopped typing for a moment before he said the next sentence. " It's almost weird to not feel like shit after work."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault."

I listened to him type for a few minutes before hesitantly speaking up again.

"The PR stuff...you seem to hate it more than for it being annoying," I said, remembering how he acted like a ticking time bomb when we first met. "Like you have All Might merchandise and stuff so you had to know this was a part of being a public figure."

"Before the war and everything after, I probably would've been fine with it. But after...it feels wrong. Like tricking people."

"..tricking people?"

"Yea." He said, his typing stopped again. "After everything that happened, it was....fucked up how we were forced to pretend everything is normal. And so fast. Society fucking crumbled less than 10 years ago but here I am modeling and forced to try to climb the hero rankings with this cheap bullshit."

I remembered that. I was part of the lucky population that could evacuate and hide out. Others, like heroes, were deemed "essential" and had to continue working even in the chaos. Heroes were overwhelmed and dropping either from injury or stress every other day. People waited solemnly in front of the TV dreading their missing loved ones they lost contact with being part of the death count. Children were forced to watch as everything fell apart before their very eyes. And In Katsuki's case, he was a child forced to take responsibility for rebuilding it.

There are still traces of those events littered here and there. Deika City was almost entirely grassland at this point. No one dared to build there after everything that happened. Kamino was scrubbed to perfection. All the buildings got a new paint job and facilities. Portions of certain cities felt almost disrespectful to find joy in so you hold an internal vigil for what happened when you walk through. And we all knew why but we didn't mention it.