Amethyst. (Katsuki Bakugo x Reader)

PART 26 - Silent Guardians

The cool night air wrapped around me as I stood in the middle of our backyard, illuminated by the soft glow of the porch light. The garden was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves and the faint chirping of crickets. Yet, unease lingered in my chest, the kind that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

I glanced toward the base of my bedroom window, where faint claw-like scratches marred the wooden frame. They'd been there for weeks now—marks that had no explanation. No new ones had appeared since, but the sight of them still made me shiver.

Focus, Y/N, I told myself. You can't afford distractions.

I extended my hands in front of me, one glowing faintly with purple flames while the other shimmered with a frosty layer of amethyst-like ice. The key was balance. Aizawa-sensei's words echoed in my mind: "Stop overthinking. Trust your instincts, or you'll never control it."

Easier said than done.

I took a deep breath, centering myself. Left hand, ice. Right hand, flames. I whispered the mantra like a prayer. The flames danced higher, but the moment I tried to stabilize the ice, it cracked and dissolved. The imbalance was infuriating.

I was halfway through a frustrated sigh when I heard a faint rustling behind me. My body tensed as I turned toward the sound, instinctively letting my ice creep up my other hand.

And then I saw him.

"Bakugo?" I hissed, startled. He was perched on the low branch of a tree by the fence, hopping down with the grace of someone who'd done this more than once. I blinked, trying to process what I was seeing. "What the hell are you doing in my garden?!"

"Tch, relax, Frostburn," he shot back, dusting his hands off like climbing a tree in the middle of the night was an everyday occurrence. "I saw you sneaking over that fence once. Figured this was the way to avoid the alarms."

I stared at him, speechless for a second before a smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. "And who's the stalker now?"

His eyes narrowed, but the faint redness creeping up his neck betrayed him. "Shut it. I'm not here to watch you. I was out for a walk, and I heard someone making a mess back here."

I crossed my arms, my smirk deepening. "You're unbelievable."

He stepped closer, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "What's unbelievable is you thinking this half-assed training is gonna help you tomorrow."

My amusement faded, and I glared at him. "What do you know about my training?"

He scoffed, jerking his thumb toward the faint scorch marks and patches of frost scattered around the garden. "Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that it looks like a tornado tore through here? You're overthinking, Todoroki. As usual."

"That's none of your business, especially since your "you'll crush us speech," I snapped, flames flickering weakly in my palm. "If I wanted your advice, I'd ask for it."

"Yeah, well, you need it and maybe I didn't mean it the way I said it, at least not to you." he retorted, stepping closer. His voice dropped, the sharp edge softening slightly.  "Look, I can see you've gotten better. Aizawa must've hammered something into that thick skull of yours. But if you're still clinging to your precious control, you're gonna lose your edge."

I stared at him, caught off guard by the observation. He wasn't wrong—I had gotten better at managing my emotions. But frustration, anger, and fear still drove my power the most.

"I have to train," I said quietly, my shoulders tensing slightly. "Tomorrow's the exam, and I... I need to get better."

Bakugo's expression twisted into a mix of irritation and disbelief. "You're such a damn perfectionist. No wonder you're always so uptight."