Emote: Bakugo x OC Reader

Chapter 87

I stared at the lumpy sleeping bag lying on the floor of Mr. Aizawa's office. Cringing, I lightly poked the mustard yellow fabric with the toe of my sneaker, but nothing happened.

"Mr. Aizawa...?" I said timidly, as I tried another more forceful tap. Nothing.

I stepped out into the hallway, wringing my hands as I tried to figure out how to wake him up without the possibility of also being murdered. I could just picture those angry, bloodshot eyes piercing me with scorn as the zipper slowly peeled back. The image in my mind was like something out of a horror film. Aizawa definitely didn't seem like the most approachable person to talk to about this, but I wasn't sure what other options I had.

"Everything okay there, little lady?" A voice asked and I whipped around to find Present Mic staring at me with a steaming cup of coffee in hand. He seemed as exuberant as ever, his blonde hair slicked up in a way that only ever reminded me of an overly excited cockatoo. His shimmering grin made me wince slightly.

Of course he's a morning person. I thought ruefully.

"Ummm, well, I just needed to talk to Mr. Aizawa about something but -"

"Oh?" Somehow he seemed to perk up even more at the name of my teacher. Before I could say another word, he was kicking in the door of Aizawa's office as he screamed, "YO, ERASER HEAD! YOU GOT A LISTENER HERE WHO HAS A REQUEST!"

Horrified, I turned the other way and contemplated running. This was not the way I pictured this going at all. I felt the sweat break out across my forehead as the sleeping bag slowly unzipped.

"I told you that you're not allowed in my office at any point before 12 PM." Aizawa's voice was deep and gravelly. His dark eyes seemed almost black and were the usual degree of bloodshot but there was a wrath in those eyes that caused me to look away immediately.

"YOU'RE UP, LITTLE LADY!"

Why is he screeching?  I'm too hungover for this. I thought, but he was already ushering me into the office and closing the door behind him.

"Nakano." Aizawa acknowledged me but didn't even sit up. His black hair flowed out of the sleeping bag and I took note of his 5 o'clock shadow. The unwanted thought struck me that he could be naked in that sleeping bag for all I knew, seeing as I could only see his head.

"Yeah, hi. I needed to talk to you about something. Ummm, I'm not sure who to report to I guess. It's just that...uh...something happened. Not anything school related, but you're a pro-hero, so I just thought maybe you could..."

This was much more awkward than I could have ever imagined. I realized then that I hadn't said the words out loud and now just thinking them made me feel queasy. My father hurt me. He laid his hands on my neck and choked me. I thought of the look in his eyes as he had hovered over me. It was suddenly hard to breath. I clutched at my chest and felt the soft fabric of the sweatshirt beneath my fingertips.

Katsuki. I focused on taking a deep breath and his scent invaded my nostrils. I hadn't anticipated that just wearing his sweatshirt could bring such an instant effect of calm over me.

Mr. Aizawa sighed deeply as he sat up, the sleeping bag falling down around him as he stood.

Thank God, he's wearing clothes. I thought as he came to stand in front of his desk, leaning against it for support.

"Go on." He said, but the look in his eyes told me that he was losing patience.

I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt down and lifted my hair up. When his eyes saw the yellowish purple bruises scattering my neck he stood up straight, the sleep in his eyes seeming to vanish within seconds.

"It was my father," I said and felt an unexpected lump form in my throat. I watched as Aizawa's eyes hardened and his mouth set into a thin line. And then the words were tumbling out of me just as fast as the tears slipping down my cheeks. "I haven't even told my mom yet, I don't know how to tell her and I didn't know who to talk to, but Shinso said that I needed to report it to someone and I knew that I needed to but I'm scared because he's a pro-hero so what if they don't believe me? What if no one believes me? Or what if he uses it against me somehow to make everyone think that I'm the crazy one?"

"Nakano." His hand firmly grasped my arm. "I believe you. I'll give you a moment to yourself but when you're ready, come out and I'll take you down to Recovery Girl's office. We can talk more there."

The relief was immediate and I felt myself nodding vigorously as I tried to stop the tears from falling. He stepped out of his office and after a few minutes in which I shamelessly wrapped my arms around myself, nuzzling into the sweet smell of the sweatshirt and wondering why I hadn't taken Katsuki up on his offer to come with, I felt prepared as I would ever be. As I slid the door open, Aizawa was just getting off the phone. He gave me a nod of acknowledgement before we began walking towards Recovery Girl's office.

Upon arrival, Recovery Girl immediately hobbled over, the clicks of her syringe cane reverberating through the empty room. "Come in, come in. Erasure gave me a heads up, so why don't you take a seat here, dearie?" She said, gesturing to the medical cot that sat next to her desk.

"Okay." I said quietly, as I sat down on the hard mattress and pulled my hood down, moving my hair again so that she could see the marks.

"That son of a bitch!" She cursed, catching me off guard.

"Recovery Girl," Aizawa's tired voice sounded as though his goal was to reign her in, but just barely.

"No, don't you, 'Recovery Girl' me, boy!" She shot back, swirling around to face him. "That old son of a bitch has had it coming for a while now! I never liked that man, never. He never belonged in the world of heroes, even from the start. That bastard is a snake!"

"I know," Aizawa said and I could feel my jaw drop. "But maybe save the rants for after we've taken care of the situation?"

"Sure, sure," She said dismissively as she turned back to face me. "I just want to wallop that -" She shook her fist, her face distorted with anger as she stopped herself from continuing.

"I kicked him right in the balls," I blurted and then my hand shot up to cover my mouth.

Aizawa, who had been standing in the doorway with his hands buried in his pockets, turned away suddenly, but not before I saw the smile pull at his lips. Recovery Girl, on the other hand, was more open about showing her glee. She grinned as she let out a cry of celebration and pulled me into an embrace, overwhelming me with the scent of moth balls and disinfectant.

"Proud of you, dearie," She said softly and I was reminded of my grandmother in that moment, causing fresh tears to slide down my cheeks as I allowed myself to settle into the feeling of safety.