ethereal (k. bakugo x reader)

☁︎ ︎𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕕 ☁︎︎

"Now then, let's move on to the award ceremony!"

You opened your eyes, groggily looking at your surroundings. You were on top of a pedestal, marked with a giant white 2. You heard muffled growls and screams from above you, and looked up to see Bakugo, who had a metal muzzle on and was bound to a log. He was violently thrashing around, trying to get out of his restraints. Tokoyami glanced up at Bakugo from his fourth place pedestal, shaking his head.

"He's a demon, ready to bite our heads off."

"Yeah, Bakugo's kinda scary right now, huh?" You sighed, grinning and placing your arms behind your head. Bakugo glared down at you, throwing muffled curses at you through his muzzle.

"Time to confer the medals! And naturally, handing them out will be..." Midnight said, glancing up at the top of the arena.

"It is I!" All Might shouted, landing on the ground with a thump.

"Our hero, All Might!"

"And I am here with medals!"

All Might glanced at Midnight, who smiled apologetically and clapped her hands together guiltily for talking over him. All Might started to talk to the two students below you, and you faded out of reality.

'I wonder if in another universe, I lost? Maybe Bakugo, Todoroki, Tokoyami and I all came out at the bottom, and the ones at the bottom came out on top. That's crazy to think about. Honestly, anyone could be standing where I am right now. Even Mineta. Nahhh, not Mineta. Hehe.'

"Young L/N." All Might said, snapping you out of your thoughts. You hummed in acknowledgement, blinking in surprise. He smiled at you, placing the second place medal around your neck. "You've done very well, and I'm proud of you. I know that you're struggling with dissociating yourself with reality, and that you're trying to handle the drawbacks of your quirk, and may I just say that you're doing a very good job of it. I know that an energy draining quirk like yours isn't easy to control, but you've managed to surprise me today with what you've been capable of."

All Might wrapped his arms around you, giving you a warm hug. He patted you on the back, making you smile softly. "Congratulations, Y/N L/N. I look forward to seeing what you'll do in the future."

He pulled away from you, stepping off the platform to look at Bakugo. "And lastly, Bakugo my boy! My, this is too much...your foreshadowing was exemplary!"

The muzzle was taken off of Bakugo's face, and an enraged expression grew as he remembered the events that had taken place.

"ALL MIIIGHT! A FIRST PLACE LIKE THIS...AIN'T WORTH SHIT! EVEN IF SOCIETY ACKNOWLEDGES IT, IF I DON'T THEN IT'S GARBAGE!!" Bakugo screamed, baring his teeth. You tuned out the screams of Bakugo and the lighthearted chatter of All Might, turning to your other two peers. You grinned at them, giving them a thumbs up.

"Good job, you guys, I'm proud of you. You did awesome, as always."

"On the contrary, L/N, you were the one that stood out the most from all of us." Tokoyami stated, staring up at you with admiration.

  "I agree with Tokoyami. I feel a bit disappointed that I couldn't face you in the final round, but seeing that match with Bakugo really impressed me, more than I could imagine. Well done." Todoroki said, a faint smile on his face. You gave him a soft smile back, rubbing the back of your neck.

  "Gee, thanks, you guys. That really means a lot to me."

  "And there you have it! This year, it's these four!" All Might shouted, and you all turned to face the crowd. "However, take heed, folks! There was a possibility for everyone in this arena to stand on those pedestals! It's just as you saw with your very own eyes, ladies and gentlemen! They competed! And boosted their comrades up! Everyone climbing higher and higher, advancing even farther!"

  All Might gestured to the crowd of students lined up on either side of the arena.

  "The next generation of heroes will surely sprout from the seeds planted here today! And to that, I'll add this sentiment! EVERYBODY SAY IT WITH ME NOW!! AAAAAAND..."

  "GREAT WORK!!"

  "Plus Ultra!" You and your classmates shouted, confusion growing on your faces. "Huh?"

  "All Might, that was obviously a Plus Ultra moment!" You snorted, covering your mouth.

  "Oh, but...I thought you'd appreciate a 'great work!' since you all worked so hard..."