Leave Your Mark | Various!BNHA x Reader

61: Oasis for His Heart

...huh?

Chisaki blinks slowly, effortfully, as he struggles to make sense of what just happened. The scene before his eyes feels like a lie, somehow. It's too difficult to accept. It comes across as more of an illusion than anything else.

Or perhaps it'd be more accurate to say that he wishes it was an illusion.

You lost. Your battle against Shouto ended in your defeat. That alone is enough to make Chisaki's head spin. Since you lost here, that means you've been eliminated. You can't move on to the finals. Your dream of winning the Sports Festival no longer has any chance of coming true. You're unarguably the most amazing person here—perfect in every sense of the word—and yet, you've been denied the victory that should rightly have been yours. He predicted it from the very beginning. Hell, he's even holding up a sign that spells the message out, word for word. The fact that you lost means this disgusting event is rigged. It's the only explanation that makes any sense.

But even setting all that aside, Chisaki finds it incredibly hard to stomach. He didn't just watch you lose. He was forced to watch as you suffered, as you pushed through the pain and held on as long as you possibly could. And now, you're out cold. You're not moving, not even a little bit, and there are burns all over your skin.

Chisaki thought that Shouto would hold back against you. Truly, from the bottom of his heart, he did. What kind of a maniac hurts the girl he loves? Who in their right mind could ever do such a thing? He thought your safety and victory was assured, but... clearly he was wrong. Chisaki can't stand being wrong.

Especially when it's at your expense.

Without so much as a word, Chisaki lets the sign he was holding drop to the ground, then stands up from his seat. Pops is already staring at him with a concerned expression, of course. He predicted this kind of reaction. After all, there was no way Chisaki Kai was going to be okay with you being repeatedly burned, and losing your battle on top of everything else.

"Chisaki," Pops says, voice low, gravelly, and somewhat hesitant. "Before you lose your temper again, I'll urge you to stay calm. [Name] fainted because she was exhausted. She's been pushing herself too hard all day. Everyone has their limits, and it just so happened she reached hers. I can tell from this distance that her injuries aren't life-threatening, so just take a breath and don't overreact."

"My concern for [Name]'s wellbeing is what you consider overreacting?"

"Of course not. If she was in danger, I would be worried too. But that boy has already fought another student, and their battle was much more destructive. You saw it with your own eyes. By comparison, [Name]'s injuries aren't that serious, and I'm sure that student who fought the same opponent as her, Midoriya, is recovering now as well."

Chisaki doesn't say anything. He simply stares straight ahead, towards the arena, and watches as Shouto gently picks you up into his arms. He starts carrying you towards the edge of the stadium, in the direction of the hallways—and by extension, the infirmary. Considering the fact that Shouto doesn't look too panicked, Pops is probably right by saying that your injuries aren't that serious. Otherwise, Shouto would be losing his mind right about now.

Then again, Chisaki already made a lapse in judgment earlier. He thought he could read Shouto's intentions loud and clear, only to be sorely mistaken. Perhaps your injuries are worse than they seem. Perhaps they appear fine on the surface, but they're much more severe than anyone could possibly tell.

After what happened at USJ, he's not taking any chances.

"I'm going to go check on her," Chisaki says. He heeds Pops' advice, however, and takes a deep breath. It's going to be okay. More than likely, everything will be fine, but this is the whole reason you invited him to be here, right? To put his mind at ease. So that he wouldn't have to break down every time you got hurt.