Emote: Bakugo x OC Reader

Chapter 49

Author's note: The empress got her groove back. Enjoy :) 

As we waited for our exam to start, I began stretching out my legs. I was assuming that I would be doing a lot of running, as our ultimate goal was for me to get to the exit first while using Todoroki's offensive powers. Sitting on the ground and pulling my feet in to do a butterfly stretch, I watched as Todoroki stood by, looking off into the distance.

I was starting to feel anxious again as the familiar feeling of dread began sinking in. Amazed at how calm Todoroki looked, I said, "You don't get shook up much, huh?"

He looked over at me, his charcoal and ice blue eyes connecting with mine. "Why do you say that?"

I smiled up at him. "You don't seem to get rattled easily, if at all. I'm kind of a hot mess over here and you just seem like you're cool as a cucumber."

"A hot mess?" He looked confused and slightly alarmed. "Do you have a fever? Should I go -"

A laugh bubbled up and erupted before I could stop it and I quickly shook my head, waving my arms to stop him from running off to alert someone. "No, it's an expression! As in, I'm struggling because I'm feeling really stressed out about this."

He looked thoughtful before responding. "I guess it's a little stressful. Mr. Aizawa is a strong opponent. It's odd to have to go against your own teacher in combat. But it makes sense what they're doing. Since the attack on the USJ you can tell that the teachers are more on edge."

"What was it like?" Without thinking, I asked the first thought that came to mind. I immediately began to backtrack. "I'm so sorry, stupid question, I'm sure you don't want to talk about it!"

He didn't seem to mind though. "Fighting the low life thugs was easy enough, but the others..." He trailed off and I suspected he was referring to the League of Villains. I'd heard the name tossed around but knew little about them. It was also unclear at this point if the League was associated with Stain, the hero killer, who was still at large.

"I guess that's why this doesn't seem so stressful," Todoroki said. "Because I've been through it in real life and survived. So what's the worst that can happen now - fail? Well, I'm not worried about that either."

He sounded so confident and he looked even more relaxed now if that was possible. A part of me envied him. His quirk was easily one of the most powerful in our entire school. If I had the ability to wield fire and ice I would feel unstoppable. And to have a father who is the number two hero? It was as though he was destined for greatness.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "I've been meaning to ask - are you going to the mixer your father's agency is throwing tonight?"

He visibly tensed at my question and I immediately kicked myself. I've seen him have a strong negative reaction to his father on multiple occasions, so why did I choose now of all times to bring this up? He must have some sort of problem with him.

Maybe similar to my relationship with my own father? I pondered.

"No," He responded, his voice clipped and stern.

"It's just, I'm only asking because I'm being forced to go. My father is making me and my mom go along with him to keep up appearances that we're a big, happy family," The sarcasm was practically dripping from my words and I coughed to hide my embarrassment that I let that slip. I noticed Todoroki's shoulders relax a bit as he looked at me curiously.

"It would be nice to actually know someone there," I said quietly, my eyes fixed to the floor.

He opened his mouth to respond when an overhead speaker blared, causing me to leap up to my feet.