A Means to an End | Katsuki Bakugou x Male Reader

Chapter 6

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The shock of hearing Shota's voice, of learning that he was not only functional but had some measure of control over (M/N)'s life again, enraged (M/N). He left the studio directly and refused to acknowledge his mentor's comments from the booth. Even so, (M/N) immediately knew Shota was right about his performance.

It took the whole morning for Shota to convince the others of (M/N)'s limitations. That he couldn't pull it off. He couldn't stand in a television studio wearing a costume and make-up in a cloud of fake smoke and rally the districts to victory. It was surprising, really, how long (M/N) survived the cameras. The credit for that, of course, went to Katsuki. Alone, (M/N) couldn't be the Mockingjay.

They gathered around the huge table in Command. Kaina and her people. Kan, his assistant, and (M/N)'s prep team. A group from 12 that included Shota and Shoto. At the last minute, Denki wheeled Tenya in. (M/N) supposed that Kaina had assembled this strange assortment of people as witnesses to his failure.

However, it was Shota who welcomed everyone, and by his words (M/N) understood that they had come at his personal invitation. This was the first time they had been in a room together since (M/N) attacked him. He looked a lot worse than (M/N) remembered, so bad in fact that for a second he wondered if the man could be dying. Then he reminded himself that he didn't care.

The first thing Shota did was show the footage they just shot. (M/N) seemed to have reached a new low under Kan and his assistant's guidance. Both his voice and body had jerky, disjointed quality, like a puppet being manipulated by unseen forces.

"All right," Shota said when it finished. "Would anyone like to argue that this is of use to us in winning the war?" No one did. "That saves time. So, let's all be quiet for a minute. I want everyone to think of one incident where (M/N) (L/N) genuinely moved you. Not where you were jealous of his hairstyle, or his outfit went up in flames or he made a halfway decent shot with an arrow. Not where Katsuki was making you like him. I want to hear one moment where he made you feel something real."

Quiet stretched out and (M/N) was beginning to think it would never end, when someone spoke up. "When he volunteered to take Eri's place at the reaping. Because I'm sure he thought he was going to die."

"Good. Excellent example," Shota said. He took a marker and wrote on a notepad. "Volunteered for sister at reaping." He looked around the table. "Somebody else."

(M/N) was surprised that the next speaker was Mashirao, who he thought of as a muscular robot that did Kaina's bidding. "When he sang the song. While the little girl died."

"Who didn't get choked up at that, right?" Shota said, writing it down.

"I cried when he drugged Katsuki so he could go get the medicine and when he kissed Katsuki goodbye!" blurted out one of his prep team members.

Shota nodded. "Oh, yeah. Drugs Katsuki to save his life. Very nice."

The moments began to come thick and fast in no particular order. When (M/N) took Wendy on as an ally. Extended his hand to Yamada on interview night. Tried to carry Ultear. And again and again when he held out those berries that meant different things to different people. Love for Katsuki. Refusal to give in under impossible odds. Defiance of the Capitol's inhumanity.

Shota held up the notepad. "So, the question is, what do all of these have in common?"

"They were (M/N)'s," Shoto said quietly. "No one told him what to do or say."

"Unscripted, yes!" Tenya said. He reached over and patted (M/N)'s back. "So we should just leave you alone, right?"

People laughed. (M/N) even smiled a little.