Emote: Bakugo x OC Reader

Chapter 66

Bakugo's POV

"So, how have you been feeling?" I asked, as we made our way along one of the walking paths in the park.

"Eh...I'm doing alright." She said, lifting the plastic cup to her lips. I watched as a bead of sweat from the cup trickled down her thumb when she took a drink. When our eyes made contact, she looked away shyly.

"Doesn't sound very convincing." I responded, shoving my hands in my pockets to resist the urge to hold hers.

If you would have asked me last year if I would have ever imagined feeling this way about someone I would have laughed in your face and probably blasted the shit out of you to boot. Sure, I looked at girls and would notice if one was particularly hot. But the idea of pursuing a relationship never interested me. In fact, it seemed boring and a waste of time. Seeing my classmates ogle over girls and chase after them like idiots made me sick. I never thought I would come to understand it because ultimately it didn't matter. I wanted to be the number one hero and I wasn't going to let anything get in the way of that.

The fresh memory of my lips pressed against hers, the feeling of my heart pounding and the need to have her so close to me, it erased all of those thoughts and feelings I'd had just last year. I could have both. I could have her and still be number one. Why didn't I realize that sooner? Still, the desperate neediness I had felt just moments ago terrified me.

"Honestly, it hurts like hell." My head snapped over as she laughed nervously. "Moving around like this isn't really -"

"Well then what the hell are we doing?" I snapped, coming to a halt. There was more of an edge to my voice than intended but I was mostly frustrated with myself. I'd been so caught up in the moment that I hadn't been thinking about her injuries.

I was surprised when she smiled sweetly up at me, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "I really wanted to see you, so...I kind of just pushed through the pain."

"Tch." I scoffed and turned so that she couldn't see my own face heating up. "Still, you should be resting. I'll walk you home."

"You're cute, you know that?" She said.

"Whatever." I looked up at the clear blue sky as I began walking and she quickly fell in step beside me. "So how is this going to work with the summer camp coming up? Are you still able to go?"

"Of course I'm going! My parents have been in contact with the school and they're aware of the situation. I'm able to go but I'll have restrictions because of my injury, so that part sucks, but still. I'll do my best!" The determination in her voice made me smile as she continued. "And anyways, I have the next week to recuperate so that's going to be my main goal."

"That's good to hear. The trip would have sucked without you." I admitted. I considered what this would mean for the other three that had been hospitalized after the Stain incident but didn't care enough to ask if she knew anything about it. They could all stay home for all I cared.

As we neared her house, I began to feel a familiar tug of discomfort. It was the feeling of knowing that we had to part ways soon. A part of me wanted to voice this, but another part of me didn't want to share something that sounded so needy.

Y/n stopped walking abruptly. What's this? Maybe she feels the same way? I thought, as I turned to look at her but her eyes weren't looking at me. They were locked forward at something in the distance and it seemed as though her complexion had paled a bit. Turning to see what she was looking at, I froze when I saw a flash of purple.

That fucking purple haired zombie ass bastard. What the fuck is he doing standing right outside of her gate? I thought, as hot anger swelled within me. I watched him hover there for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought. When he turned our way, I saw his eyes connect with hers and the way his expression shifted just slightly. After a moment he lifted his hand in greeting and before I knew it, y/n was moving forward again, waving her hand as well.

"Shinso!" She called, her voice too high, almost panicky. I gritted my teeth as I stomped after her and then bit down on my tongue to prevent myself from screaming.

"Hey! I didn't realize you were coming." She said as we got closer. "I thought you were going to text me."

What the fuck? Had she been planning on hanging out with him today? Why the hell hadn't she mentioned this earlier?

"Ah, yeah. It was a bit impulsive I suppose." He said, scratching the back of his neck and looking down. The bags under his eyes were so defined and dark, it disgusted me. What the hell is with this guy, does he never sleep? "I wanted to get out of the house, so I wandered around town a bit and then I came across this."

I hadn't noticed that he was holding something in his hand and he lifted it up then for y/n to see. It was a manga with a hooded, mysterious looking character on the cover. "I saw this and thought you would enjoy it. It's a spin off from the most recent manga you've been reading, centered around the back story of the villain. Once I bought it, I realized I was close to your house anyways, so I figured I would stop by. I just got done talking to your mom, who wasn't sure where you'd run off to, but it figures you left to get a cold press."

When he looked up and smiled at her, I could feel my adrenaline spike. 

'But you have to trust me when I say that we are friends and that's all we are.' Her words echoed through my mind.

But...how can you not see it? I thought, looking over to y/n, whose face had become alight with excitement as she stared at the manga. How can you not see that he looks at you the same way that I do?

I narrowed my eyes at him but he was ignoring me. He only had eyes for her. I was seething. I hated this. I hated him. I hated that she didn't fucking see what was so obvious. But if I tried to talk to her about it, she would only get mad and she'd probably go crying to him. I had to think about this logically. But the way he was looking at her, I didn't think I could hold back as I felt my fist clench up in my pocket involuntarily.

"You know, y/n," I said and felt a wave of satisfaction as zombie boy finally acknowledged me with a look of surprise. "You should really get some rest now. You were just saying how much pain you were in by moving around too much."

"Yeah, but I for sure won't be able to sleep knowing that this exists!" She nearly sang, as she took the manga from the boy's hands. "Shinso, thank you so much!"

'Shinso, you really are the best.'

Shit. Shit! Her words were like a broken record stuck in my mind. I'm going to start yelling, I can feel it building like a strong wave that's about to come crashing down. If I don't walk away, I'm not going to be able to stop it. Even if I do walk away, I don't know if I'll be able to stop it, this wrath that's burning my throat. I had to erase this feeling.

"I've gotta go." I said, turning away.

"Later," His voice, thick with animosity and sarcasm, hit me like like a physical blow to the back of the head. There was something smug about his tone, like this fucker thought he was better than me or some shit, that made me whip around. I would show him who the fuck was the better man.

Y/n looked beyond uncomfortable and startled when I closed the distance between us in one step. She opened her mouth to say something but I captured her lips in mind before she could. I grabbed her waist and pulled her closer, feeling the cool drink she was holding press against my stomach where it was trapped between us. The kiss was more aggressive than I intended and I know I was being possessive but I couldn't stop myself. The kiss ended when she pulled back and I looked down at her shocked face. Before she could have a chance to respond, I stepped back and started walking away.

"I'll text you later." I called over my shoulder.

'It's nothing compared to how I feel about you.' I clung to her words as I left her with a boy that was so clearly in love with her.