Emote: Bakugo x OC Reader

Chapter 84

The room, which had previously been thrown into chaos as soon as Mina and Shinso had shown up, was suddenly enveloped in its own bubble of peaceful quiet as Kirishima gently closed the door. And yet, my mind was still stuck on the scene that had played out just moments ago.

"Y/n, oh my God, what happened to your neck?" Mina had asked after pulling away from our hug and wiping the tears from her eyes.

I saw Shinso's eyes change in an instant from guarded to panicked as he pushed past Katsuki to rush into the room. I had cringed, waiting for Katsuki to explode and for the inevitable fight to break out between the two of them. But he stood frozen, his crimson eyes distant and cast downward. There was something in his eyes that shook me. It was the fear written so clearly in those beautiful eyes that made my chest tighten.

Shinso had leaned in to examine my neck, blocking my view of Katsuki. It was rare to see Shinso react so strongly to something and the force of his anger shocked me. "Did this piece of shit do this to you?!" He had demanded as he stood up, hooking a thumb over his shoulder to indicate he was talking about Katsuki.

My eyes darted to Katsuki, sure that this would be enough to push him over the edge, but he was still staring at the ground, clearly somewhere far away.

"Hey, what the hell is your problem?" Kirishima demanded, taking a step forward, but he quickly noticed his friend's lack of response.

"No, of course it wasn't!" I shouted. "It was my piece of shit father."

Shinso reacted as though I had physically struck him, inhaling sharply as a hand came to rest over his stomach. The pain written in his dark lavender eyes was a combination of regret, misery and anger. I looked to Katsuki and had found that Kirishima was waving his hand in front of the boy's face, still not responding.

"Bakugo?" Kirishima said, his voice laced with concern.

I felt my fear rising slowly, as though I were on a roller coaster, feeling the slow burning anticipation as the car goes at an agonizing pace up the incline, waiting for the inescapable drop that you know is about to come.

It wasn't until Kirishima laid his hand on Katsuki's shoulder that the cloudiness of his eyes seemed to fade away. "You okay, man?" He had asked and Katsuki quickly shrugged him off.

"You're going to have to report this." Shinso said quietly.

Katsuki had whipped around to fully face us as he yelled, "Get the hell out of my room, extras! I can take care of her myself!" I had never been more grateful to see the full expressiveness of his anger plastered across his features.

Now he stood silently only a few feet away and yet it felt as though we were miles apart.

"What happened to you just now?" I spoke softly, worried that the slightest misstep would cause him to drift even farther away.

He was silent for a few seconds before responding. "You know, you would probably be better off if you did choose him."

His ash blonde hair was shielding his eyes and he was slightly turned away. A cold, gnawing feeling started to grow in the pit of my stomach. My hands gripped the edge of the bed as I tried to process his words.

"Why would you say that when you know I love you?" My voice sounded strained. It felt as though there was a thin string tightening around my neck.

"Why would you ever love me?"

His words broke me, the way he spoke them so softly. The usual venom in his words had been fully drained and what was left was the raw parts of himself that he kept so deeply hidden from the rest of the world. His question reverberated through my mind, a question I never dreamed I would be answering to this boy who from the start had done nothing but get under my skin. And yet, just as easily as he had gotten under my skin from the beginning, he had stayed firmly planted there, like a seed that slowly began to sprout and grow over time. I loved him. I had been scared to admit it, but saying it out loud was like breaking free from a prison I had confined myself in.

"Why do I love you?" I said, noticing the slight tremor in my voice. "I love you because you never give up, because nothing can get in the way of your determination and strong will. I love you because you never stop fighting for what you want or for the people you care about, even if you try to mask your true feelings by being an asshole sometimes. I love you even when you're an asshole which pisses me off. I love you because you inspire me and encourage me and take care of me even when I don't deserve it. I love you because you are the strongest person I know so why the fuck are you asking me right now why I would ever love you?"

His eyes were still shielded and I watched as one of the corners of his lip turned up in what should have been a smile but there was a haunting beauty to it that made my heart ache. "Because it's my fault."

I watched as a single tear rolled down his cheek and I felt my breath catch in my throat. He turned and took a few steps forward before kneeling on the ground in front of me. Silently, he leaned forward, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his head on my lap.

"I'm sorry," He said as his body started to shake.

I wrapped my arms around him and when my fingers grazed his skin I was overcome with a hurricane of emotions: shame, fear, sadness, remorse, anger. I watched as the boy I loved completely unraveled before me and clung to me as though I was the only thing keeping him from floating away to that far off place.