Bare With Me - [MHA Boys/OC x Female Reader]

Chapter 34 - Operation 'Save Bakugo' Pt. 2

"Bakugo..?" your voice quietly asked, confused.

How could he have caused a scar like that?

Jude let out a frustrated sigh, his gaze dropping to the floor as he remained silent for a few moments. "Of course—" you interjected hastily, your voice gentle and concerned, "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Jude cleared his throat slightly, "Nah, it's fine—it's not that big of a deal. It happened back in Junior High, anyways.." he explained briefly. "There's not much to it, but we got into an argument about something, said a bunch of mean ass crap, then it ended in a fight and he sorta got the final blow," Jude added.

He seemed reluctant, like he was forcing himself to talk about what happened. His eyes darted away, and his shoulders stiffened, showing just how uncomfortable he felt. You could see the inner conflict in his expression, and it made you feel bad. You hoped he didn't feel pressured to share, wishing he knew he didn't have to talk about it if he truly didn't want to.

"I'm sorry..." was all you managed to reply, your voice barely above a whisper. A lump formed in your throat, tightening with each passing second and preventing you from saying anything more. You wanted to express more, to offer comfort or reassurance, but the words stuck in the same position, not escaping your lips to be formed into words.

You gently pulled him back for a moment, taking a closer look at the scar on his eyebrow. It was much more noticeable now that you were really examining it. Your fingers lightly traced the outline of the scar, as if you were drawing it, feeling the uneven texture beneath your touch.

You offered a gentle smile, "I think it makes you, you." you said softly. Jude returned your smile, his eyes intently focused on your face. He followed your gaze as it wandered, noticing how you avoided looking directly at him.

"Real corny," Jude commented jokingly. You huffed and gently hit his shoulder, taking your finger off of his face. "Way to ruin the moment," you replied. Jude leaned forward a bit more and chuckled, shaking his head.

You looked back over at him with a small smile, and then everything started to feel in the slightest better. He slyly leaned in and pressed his lips against yours in response to your attempt to comfort him. You returned his kiss, and put your hands on his face, but he broke the kiss after pecking your lips a few more times.

He stood up slightly, his hand sliding down from your shoulder to your hand, which you squeezed as he brushed his hand off slightly. "Night," he said suddenly. You smiled slightly and waved, "Night."

• • •

The next day seemed to pass by quickly as well, and you'd started to lose the concept of time as a whole. Everything felt like it was moving by way too fast, but you'd assumed that it was just because of the situation with Bakugo.

You still couldn't bring yourself to accept what had happened. The weight of the event pressed down on you, relentless and suffocating—it ate at your core. Every time you were reminded of the incident, a nagging sense of unease twisted those knots in the pit of your stomach. It felt almost overly dramatic, but the vivid memory of that moment left you feeling disoriented.

Merely hearing his name triggered a visceral reaction, a wave of nausea fueled by an overwhelming surge of regret. It was as if the very sound of his name was a cruel reminder of your failure, a bitter echo that kept you trapped in a relentless cycle of self-condemnation.

At this point, the guilt you once felt for the whole Vienna-Jude situation was far behind this one.

Evening rolled around, and the sun began to set. You were now outside of the gates of U.A., preparing to set the plan into action. Iida fixed a hat that Yaoyorozu created as a disguise, adjusting it atop his head, "I pray that we don't make the same mistake at the Hosu incident.." he murmured.