Emote: Bakugo x OC Reader

Chapter 97

Bakugo's POV

Damn it. I thought, feeling my anger pool in the pit of my stomach like molten lava. Staring at her back as we walked toward the anteroom, I watched as her long dark hair swayed back and forth with each step she took. Her head was held up a fraction of a degree more than what seemed necessary and I wondered if she was trying to hold back tears as one of her hands wrapped around to grip her side. I hated how stubborn she was being. I hated that she was making such a stupid request of me, but what I hated the most is that I had needed that damn Pikachu's help earlier.

After wordlessly following in her wake for a few minutes, we arrived at the anteroom, where I watched her scan the area before heading in the direction of a group of our classmates. When Deku looked in our direction and our eyes locked across the room, I felt my irritation flare and he quickly averted his eyes. Why the fuck had she chosen to follow his lead so readily? Why did everybody else seem to think that the damn nerd was better than me? I recalled the fight in Camino ward between All Might and One for All and the way that he had pointed a bony finger at the camera during the interview that followed, saying, "You're next;" The memory of Deku's silent tears turning into choking sobs as he furiously wiped at his face.

"Hey! You guys made it too! That's great!" Frog girl was saying.

"Oh no, Nakano, what happened? It looks like you're injured!" Deku exclaimed, the worry in his eyes making my fists clench.

"Yeah, but I'm fine, really. It's just a few scratches."

Her words sent me over the edge. "Like hell you're fine!" I barked, gripping her arm and dragging her away from the group towards what appeared to be a corner of the room designated for addressing any injuries that had been sustained during the exam. She yanked out of my grip and I whipped around to catch her wince before she rearranged her features back to neutral.

"Stop being a dumbass," I demanded, glaring at her hard.

"Stop being a prideful jerk," She shot back, matching the intensity of my withering glare.

We stared at each other like that for a few seconds before she sighed heavily. "Part of being a hero is working together with other people, Katsuki. It's okay to ask for help and it's okay to need it." I had to bite my tongue to keep a snarky comment from slipping out as she continued. "I'm just scared that if you keep pushing people away in critical moments like before we started the exam that one day you're going to go blazing into some situation alone and get yourself killed...or in this case, fail an important test that you need to pass to become a hero."

"But I passed, so what's the big fucking deal? Why were you so damn eager to follow Deku right away instead of me?" There was an edge to my voice that seemed to trigger something in her and I watched as anger flared in her eyes.

"You didn't tell me what you were thinking! You didn't give me a choice or communicate what was on your mind, you just started dragging me along!"

"Because I wanted to work together with you! Not with any of those other damn extras! I could give a shit less about any of them!"

The darkness in her eyes seemed to soften for a moment as she began to deflate. "Katsuki," She said quietly, surprising me when she stepped forward and took one of my hands, cradling it in hers as she brought it to her chest. "Obviously I followed after you because I wanted to work together with you too. I'm not saying that you have to be best friends with everyone in our class, but try to hear people out at least and understand that we are all your allies."

I considered my internship when that ridiculous pro hero covered in jeans had tried to explain to me the importance of acting properly when interacting with the public and especially when responding to hero calls. He'd lectured me several times about needing to keep my anger in check and not insult the people I was trying to save or the heroes I was working alongside. I recalled his words once after we completed a mission: "You act as though everybody is your enemy, Bakugo, even the ones that are trying to help you. You're going to have a hard time making it as a hero with that attitude. You can have all the strength in the world but it can't make up for what you lack."

He had dismissed me then with a flippant wave of the hand that made me want to break off his entire appendage and beat him with it. Still, those words had stuck with me.

Suddenly, Y/n wavered and I noticed that her face had paled a bit. Gripping her arm to help her right herself, I felt my resolve start to slip as she leaned forward into me. "You idiot..." I said softly. "Whatever, I guess getting help isn't the worst thing in the world. But I'd rather it not be from a dumbass like short circuit."

She chuckled as she stood up straight. "He can be kind of dumb, I'll give you that. Well, these injuries actually hurt like hell, so I think I'll just -"

She gestured towards the medical corner of the room we had been headed towards and I nodded. "I'll walk you the rest of the way."

The smile she rewarded me with was adorable as hell. I had always thought that making my way to the top meant taking out anyone who stood in my way. I'd never considered making allies along the way, much less falling in love. And yet, as I waited for Y/n to get her injuries treated and Kirishima and Kaminari blathered on about our experience together during the exam, I thought that maybe this wasn't so bad.