Emote: Bakugo x OC Reader

Chapter 56

It wasn't long before I pulled my hand away, suddenly feeling like this was too intimate, the setting, the secrets being revealed, the physical contact. I hadn't intended on reading his emotions but they had overwhelmed me and after I got over the initial shock of being swept up in the tide by them, my senses came back to me and it felt like I was violating his privacy.

He seemed to be pretending not to notice as I wiped the tears off of my cheeks, inwardly cursing myself for choosing to wear mascara tonight of all nights. But then again, who would have thought that of all the scenarios that I had imagined playing out tonight, this is the one I would find myself in?

Todoroki was looking out towards the city again and neither of us had spoken for a few minutes. The silence that lingered between us didn't feel uncomfortable though. I considered saying 'I'm sorry' in response to his admission of the origin of his scar, but it felt like far too weak of a response, so I remained quiet.

"I've never liked Endeavor," I blurted.

To my surprise, he laughed softly. "Yeah. To be honest, I don't know much about your father but he kind of reminds me of my old man in a way."

"Well, I've never really been a fan of him either," I muttered, more to myself, but Todoroki glanced over at me, his expression curious.

"What's he like?" 

I sighed heavily, leaning forward to put my elbows on the half wall in front of me. The cement was cool and prickly against my bare skin. "He's a narcissistic asshole and I'm his biggest disappointment. He takes any chance he can get to tear me down and tell me how much of a failure I am. Even being transferred to the hero course hasn't gotten him to ease up. And since he got injured by Stain..."

I stopped abruptly, suddenly realizing how whiny I sounded when he had just got done telling me that his mother poured boiling water on his face and his father had created him for the sole purpose of beating All Might.

My father has never laid a hand on me. I thought, biting my lip as I considered this. He's only ever hurt me with his words. But even thinking that sounds so lame. I'm not going to burden him with this stupid bullshit. I should just zip my lips and change the subject.

Todoroki was looking at me expectantly and I shook my head, mumbling, "Never mind, it's nothing."

His blue and gray eyes sparkled with the reflection of the city lights. "No, keep going."

I found myself looking down and scuffing one of my flats across the ground, sending a spray of pebbles scuttling across the roof. "Nah, it's not a big deal."

Hearing Todoroki sigh, I looked up and found him gazing out at the bustling city life before us. "Pain is pain, y/n. It doesn't matter how it happens or who causes it, none of that lessens the sting of it. And it doesn't make yours somehow lesser than mine if that's what you're thinking."

I felt my mouth hang open in surprise and shock. It took me a moment to recover before I said, "I've never thought about it that way. I mean...yeah, I guess I had been thinking that if I'm being honest. My father has only ever hurt me with his words. And yet, since he got injured I've been worried that something more might happen. He's home all the time now besides his physical therapy appointments and it's kind of like waiting for a bomb to explode. He kind of scares me..."

Considering how he would react if he found out about me sneaking away from the party left a hollow feeling in my stomach. A sudden pain in my chest caused me to wince and inhale sharply. 

"Are you okay?" Todoroki asked, concern written in his features as he turned to face me.

"Yeah, it's just," I realized then that Todoroki didn't know I had used my quirk to make Mr. Aizawa feel pain during our exam, let alone the repercussions of using that aspect of my quirk. "Oh, I didn't even get a chance to tell you! During our final exam, I was able to use that new ability of my quirk before I escaped!"

"Oh yeah, I spoke with Mr. Aizawa afterwards and watched the footage of what I missed too. You were incredible," His smile was warm and genuine and I realized that it was rare sight to see. "But what does that have to do with how you're feeling now?"

"Ah, yeah, about that, well it's definitely a secret weapon of mine now that I'm fairly confident in using it, but the backlash is that the next 24 hours I find myself in more pain than I usually would be after a fight. It seems that even Recovery Girl can't override that. I mean, since I woke up this afternoon I've been feeling the usual aches and pains to be expected after I use my quirk but sometimes there are these sharp, unexpected ones and it kind of catches me off guard if that makes sense?"

He nodded his head silently. "Seems like a high risk though, especially if it were a real fight."

My immediate response was to become defensive, although I bit my tongue as I actually considered this. I had never actually thought of this, although what he was saying made sense. If I were to actually use my secret weapon during a battle with a villain it could easily debilitate me and then leave me useless.

"Well, I guess, but -" 

I was distracted as something caught my eye and I turned to inspect it further. In the distance there was a loud crashing sound, followed by movement but my eyes weren't processing what I was actually seeing until it clicked with a horrifying clarity.

"Oh my God, is that building collapsing?!" I asked, and as I did, the building that I had been staring at appeared to cave in on itself and what started as a tiny spark grew into a raging flame consuming the pile of rubble.

The building was a ways away from us, but from our view we had a good vantage point to see most of the city. The squealing sound of an ambulance pierced through the night and the flashing red and blue lights washed through the streets. I leaned forward, squinting to try to get a better view of what had actually happened but it was too far in the distance.

An explosion close to the collapsed building sent more flames curling upwards towards the sky and I thought I caught a glimpse of something flying through the air. The span of it's wings was massive although it's shape was not that of a bird. It was too far away to tell but as it disappeared from my sight a chill ran up my spine and I found myself frozen.

Is this an attack on the city? I thought and suddenly I couldn't breath.

"We need to move." Todoroki said, already heading back towards the elevator. "I don't know what's happening, but they may be calling my father's agency as we speak for backup. Let's get somewhere safe for now. Y/n?"

The destruction in the distance was only spreading, slowly inching it's way across the city, and I was unable to move. My thoughts were racing and I couldn't seem to get a grip on any of them. Pain shot through me like a shock wave and I grabbed the edge of the half wall in front of me, my fingers scratching against the cement.

The weight of Todoroki's hand on my shoulder brought me back to the present as he quietly said, "It'll be okay. Let's go."

Ripping my eyes off of the scene before me, I turned and began making my way with him towards the elevator. I realized that I was shaking as we waited and I saw Todoroki's lips moving but I wasn't comprehending what he was actually saying.

When the doors did open, we rushed inside and I felt my chest loosen as the doors slid shut. A shaky breath fell from my lips as Todoroki's hand hovered over the rows of buttons. His finger closed in on the button that read '22' when he stopped suddenly and turned to face me.

"It might be really chaotic down there. Do you want to message your parents to let them know you're okay and then we can go -"

Just as I heard a ping, I felt something vibrate in my clutch. We looked at each other, confused, and drew our phones out at the same time. The text I had just received was from Midoriya and as I opened it, I felt my pulse quicken. It was a location, no message attached, just coordinates to a nearby location that didn't even seem to be associated with a building or popular site.

"Is that from -" 

"Midoriya," I breathed and his eyes widened fractionally.

My hand slammed over the button to take us to the ground floor and as we looked into each other's eyes there was a mutual understanding of what was about to happen. 

Determination and strength, suddenly coursing through me and quieting the fear and unknown, spiked my adrenaline as I shouted, "We're going!"