Amethyst. (Katsuki Bakugo x Reader)

PART 14 - Between Two Fires

The moment I stepped into the arena with Fuyumi, my breath caught. The stadium had been mostly repaired, but the cracks and shards of ice from my Ice Dragon still clung stubbornly to the walls and floor, melting slowly under the afternoon sun. Burn marks marred the ground where my flames had erupted, scarring the place permanently.

For the first time since Toya... I really saw it—the destruction. The uncontrollable force that surged through me. The same power that...

A cold shiver ran down my spine. My hands twitched as if the flames might roar to life again at any second. My heartbeat quickened, pounding in my chest like a warning.

Fuyumi must have noticed my silence. She placed a warm hand on my shoulder. "I know it looks bad," she said, her voice gentle. "But you had control, Y/N. You kept the ice where you wanted it. And your flames? They didn't harm anyone. They just went into the sky. You did well."

I shook my head, my gaze locked on the frozen remnants of my power. "But... what if I hadn't?"

Fuyumi sighed softly, squeezing my shoulder. "What ifs won't help you. You've got more control than you think."

Her words settled over me like a blanket, but the knot in my stomach didn't ease. Control? I wasn't so sure. I could still feel it—the heat burning in my chest, the rush of power, the danger of letting it spill over again. But I pushed those thoughts down. Shoto's match was about to start.

We took our seats as the crowd roared, anticipation thick in the air. Shoto and Bakugo stepped into the ring, and despite the noise around me, everything felt distant, like I was watching through a fog. My mind was still tangled up in the Ice Dragon.

But then I looked at Bakugo. His usual scowl was locked in place, but there was something sharper in his eyes—focused, deadly. When my gaze shifted to Shoto, I saw it too: calm, but colder than usual. This wasn't just about the match.

This was personal.

__________

"Begin!" Present Mic's voice boomed through the stadium, and the crowd roared as Shoto immediately sent a massive wall of ice toward Bakugo.

Bakugo scoffed, launching himself into the air with a burst from his hands. "You think that weak-ass ice is gonna stop me, Icy-Hot?!"

He shot down like a missile, explosions cracking through the air, aiming for Shoto's head. But Shoto was faster. He raised another ice barrier just in time, the force of Bakugo's blast cracking the surface but not shattering it.

Bakugo snarled, jumping back to the ground, frustration flashing in his eyes. "Damn it... you're faster than her."

It hit me then. He thought Shoto's ice would be like mine. He'd trained with me, fought alongside me—he was underestimating Shoto. And that was a dangerous mistake.

The fight escalated, both of them moving so fast I could barely keep up. Bakugo's relentless explosions echoed through the stadium, while Shoto remained cool and calculated, blocking and dodging with precision.

But then Shoto's voice cut through the noise. "You think you understand my sister because you trained with her for a few days?"

Bakugo's eyes narrowed. For a split second, surprise flashed across his face. No one else would've noticed, but I did. He hadn't expected Shoto to know. I hadn't told anyone about our training, and I knew Bakugo hadn't either.

But he recovered quickly, his smirk returning. "Oh,so you do care, huh, Icy-Hot? If you didn't, you wouldn't have followed us. Kinda cute, actually."

Shoto's expression didn't change, but I saw the tension in his jaw. Bakugo was pushing his buttons, and it was working.