Battle of Wills ~ (bakugou x reader)

Chapter Sixteen

Bakugou stood impassively at the edge of the stage, hands shoved in his pockets. He didn't care to listen to the announcer, focusing on his own thoughts instead. He hadn't seen you in the crowd yet but hoped you were watching. Bakugou meant to do well on his original statement to you the day before. His blunt opening speech was intended as a message to you: that he wasn't going to go back on his assertion. He would win.

But there wasn't time to look around for you now. The match was about to start, and Bakugou wasn't going to lose. His eyes narrowed in on his opponent as the countdown began.

From high up in the stands, you watched the blond as you ate some of the blue cotton candy Aika had bought for you. The sugary scent reminded you of the smell of Bakugou's skin. You dismissed the thought as soon as it came into your mind, shaking your head vigorously.

Even from overhead, his stance was imposing. The glare from the overhead lights accented the structure of his face with shadows, highlighting the tensed muscles under his uniform. The cameras around the stadium focused in on his intense scowl, shouts of his name mixed with his opponent's bounced around the crowd. You were suddenly reminded of Bakugou's impressive social standing and felt some of your original anxieties begin to roll through you.

To distract yourself, you glanced at his opponent. The short brunette also wore a determined expression, her black tank top showing off the prominent muscles of her arms.

From the whispered reactions of the audience, it seemed no one thought she would win.

"It's because she's a girl," Aika whispered to you in irritation. "They just automatically think she's weak. I hope she wins."

You had to agree with Aika, but, as much as you wanted to root for the short-haired girl, your eyes kept drifting back to Bakugou.

As the countdown got closer to zero, you felt the nerves of the audience increase. Finally, the announcer called a loud "Start!"

The girl quickly rushed at Bakugou. The man remained still and straight-faced as her shorter figure approached his. Suddenly, the stadium lit up with a bright flash and the sound of a loud explosion as a huge burst of fire immersed the stage in flames. Bakugou smirked as the wave of smoke filling the arena began to clear. The girl stood up, panting, before lunging at him again.

You had never seen Bakugou in combat before. Of course, you had seen him train and had seen the sparks he could shoot from his palms. But this was a whole different level.

Explosions continuously encased the stage in brilliant light, the detonations shaking the foundation of the stadium itself. You could feel the vibrations from your seat and could sense the searing heat on your face. Bakugou weaved through the sea of dangerous flames like a dragon, the muscles in his arms rippling with every explosion, his bright red eyes matching the color of the fire. Each blast was stronger than the last, igniting the air with heat. It would be an incredible feat to match his sheer physical power. As the blond's dark silhouette wove through the smoke and flames, you could occasionally glimpse the eerie smile that had appeared on his face. You could tell he loved to fight.

Honestly, you were equally as impressed by the tenacity of Bakugou's opponent. Half the audience was ready to tap out before her, overwhelmed by the heat of the explosions and the sharp pungent smell of the smoke, but the girl kept standing back up again and again. Some members of the crowd had turned their faces away and others had started booing, obviously believing the scene was an unnecessary show of violence. But others still had noticed the analytical glint in her eyes. To get into the top Hero Course in the nation, you couldn't be weak by any means. But it seemed a large portion of the audience had forgotten this.

All of a sudden, you noticed the collection of large, sharp chunks of concrete levitating in the air above the stage. The hard materials were poised above Bakugou's head.

The brunette yelled something, and the rocks quickly began to tumble down from the sky. Your eyes widened as you tensed in your seat. You realized suddenly that you didn't want to see Bakugou getting hurt.

Isn't this kind of fight a little too dangerous? What if someone gets killed?

Suddenly, the arena lit up with the largest explosion yet, huge masses of flames tumbling from Bakugou's raised palm, effectively crumbling the concrete mid-air. The stadium fell completely silent as the dark black smoke began to clear, slowly revealing Bakugou's stoic expression, his strong arm still lifted above his head. The blond slowly dropped his arm in punctuation. A predatory gleam entered his eyes as he languidly revealed that he saw through her plan. He smirks darkly at the girl, prepared to launch another detonation of flames across the stage. However, before he could attack, she fell over, unconscious.

The crowd grew quiet before Bakugou was loudly declared the winner. You let out a breath you didn't realize you had been holding, leaning back in your seat. As a female hero held up Bakugou's muscular arm in victory, his bright eyes met yours. The somewhat upset expression that had been painted on his face melted away as his features brightened in recognition. His lips turned up into a small smile.

You pressed your hands to your face, feeling flushed. You quickly broke eye contact with the blond, looking away. You felt hot at the intensity of his expression, squirming uncomfortably in your seat. These feelings--whatever they were--were out of character for you. But somehow watching the sheer power of Bakugou's combat skills up close thrilled you. However, there was no way you were going to tell him that.

Meanwhile, Sakura was squealing next to you as Aika frowned in dismay. "(Y/N), did you see that?! Bakugou's so strong! Lord, have mercy." Sakura pretended to fan herself with her hand.

Trying to hide your flushed cheeks from your friends, you muttered, "Hey, I'm going to head to the bathroom really quick."

"Mhmm, okay," Sakura mumbled, obviously preoccupied. For some reason, you felt a curl of distaste on your tongue watching the way she eyed Bakugou.

Aika rolled her eyes at the brunette. "Don't be too long, (Y/N). I can only take so long of listening to Mrs. Bakugou over here." Aika jutted her thumb out at Sakura.

You laughed. "Okay, I'll be back in a few."

You headed towards the exit, maneuvering over outstretched legs and precariously-perched drinks. At one point, you stumbled a little, almost falling onto a Pro-Hero's lap.

You quickly muttered your apologies, cheeks turning even hotter. For some reason, you still felt slightly shaken from the match.

As you reflected on the events of the past few minutes, you felt butterflies flutter in your stomach. While you enjoyed the power of your quirk, seeing the incredible power of such a strong physical quirk like Bakugou's on display like that was one of the more impressive sights you had seen.

And the way he moved...

His confidence clearly translated to combat. He knew he was powerful, especially given that smirk he was wearing for most of the fight. He also was a lot smarter than you had originally pegged him for. He had suspected his opponent's plan before pretty much any of the audience members did--and they even had an advantage with their overhead view.

You smiled into your hand beside yourself.

"Wait..." you muttered, snapping out of your daze. "What the hell am I doing?"

As you passed through the exit doors, you slapped yourself on the cheeks.

Why do I keep thinking about him?

Just earlier, you weren't even planning on coming. Why were your emotions so haywire after watching one match?

You stopped in your tracks as you realized.

Shit, I have a crush on Bakugou Katsuki.