Heartbreaker | BNHA x Reader

[41] Save Your Tears

Even if you had won against Katsuki-by some miracle-realistically, you didn't think your body could have held out much longer. You weren't necessarily frail, but being plagued by constant, debilitating headaches whenever you felt like you were on the cusp of remembering something, on top of how much you'd physically exerted yourself today, didn't make for a good combo.

So, in a way, you were actually relieved to be done with the Sports Festival. It felt like you could finally stop to take a full breath.

Plus, you were friends with Shouto now, and even Katsuki was at least considering letting you become his friend one day. Despite all of the Sports Festival's challenges, it was clear that your efforts hadn't been in vain.

You were proud of yourself for how hard you'd worked. You could safely say that you hadn't half-assed a single part, and even though you were nowhere near as strong as say, Shouto, it felt like you'd finally recognized your own potential. As long as you didn't lose faith along the way, there was no reason why you couldn't be a hero, too.

And apparently, even your number one antagonist felt the same way.

["You did good out there. I can tell today's been pretty rough on you, but you stayed strong, and you made progress with your love interests too. Great job. You're really starting to get the hang of things."]

That all-too familiar ping, followed by a screen of text, instantly made your expression twist into a scowl. They had nice things to say, for a change, but you didn't buy any of it, not for a single second. This was the same vile, cruel entity that had trapped you in an endless void and tortured you time and time again. The fact that they kept trying to act like your friend, after everything they'd already done to you, was honestly laughable.

"Ugh," you grimaced quietly, but apparently, not quietly enough, because Shouto soon turned towards you with a frown.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Why'd you say ugh? You look kind of upset all of a sudden. Or maybe I'm just not reading things right. It's hard for me to tell what people are thinking."

Now that he was finally your friend, it seemed like he was a whole lot more perceptive than before. Although the truth was that he'd always been paying way more attention to you than everyone else, since the very beginning. Not that you realized it.

["If I can just offer one suggestion. You need to get better at not reacting so visibly to my messages. Bakugou's already caught you responding to me a few times. He seemed to think that you were just talking to yourself, but you should really be careful about how you react when you're in public. Also, please stop glaring so much. I'm just trying to have an amicable discussion. You did great out there, buddy!"]

It probably sounded ridiculous to want to murder a completely unseen, intangible force, yet here you were. Very much in the mood to murder a bitch.

"It's nothing, Shouto," you dismissed, albeit through gritted teeth. "I just saw a bug. A nasty little thing, buzzing around right next to me. But I think I'm just gonna ignore it. There's no point in getting worked up over a bitch-ass little insect, after all."

["...someone's in a bit of a mood, I see."]

You crossed your arms defiantly, and thankfully, they took the hint and didn't bother you anymore.

Shouto nodded solemnly. "Okay. Don't worry. If I see any bugs, I'll take care of them. They won't be able to give you any more trouble."

Damn. You'd just unintentionally put out a hit for whichever bug had the misfortune of venturning near you. Apologies in advance.