Battle of Wills ~ (bakugou x reader)

Chapter Seventeen

Author's Note:

Hey, y'all! Soo... I already put a smut warning at the beginning of this book, but just as an FYI, this chapter will have some smut. If you aren't comfortable with that, I put warning signs (⚠️) at the beginning and end of those sections. 

Also, this chapter is like twice as long as usual, so enjoy! :)

***

The sound of your shoes hitting the hard floor echoed through the near-deserted hallway. You had never set foot in U.A.'s Sports Festival Stadium before, much less been a lone attendee at the Festival itself. And now, you were lost in the maze of hallways.

All I wanted was to find a bathroom...

"(Y/N)?" a voice from behind you questioned.

You turned around, hopeful that whoever recognized you could point you in the right direction. However, as soon as you caught sight of the source of the voice, your eyes widened.

"Todoroki?" you asked. "Aren't you participating in the Festival? Shouldn't you be with the other participants?"

The boy frowned slightly, looking confused. "(Y/N)... you know this is the participant area, right?"

You felt heat rise to your face. "No, I did not," you muttered, embarrassed. "I was just trying to find a bathroom, but I guess now I'm hopelessly lost. They should really put up more signs."

Todoroki gave a small smile. "I can help, just follow me." He put his hand on the small of your back to guide you.

"Ack!" You jumped in surprise. "Why is your hand so cold?"

The blue-gray-eyed boy quickly withdrew his hand from you, looking apologetic. "Sorry, I have a fight coming up, and I was preparing for it. It takes a bit for my body temperature to go back to normal after using my quirk."

"Oh, sorry," you apologized. "I can find my own way, then. I must be distracting you."

Todoroki slightly shook his head. "No, you're fine. I needed a distraction anyway."

You decided not to press the issue, instead preferring to walk alongside Todoroki in silence.

"I'm surprised you're here," he suddenly says quietly.

"Yeah, me too," you mumble.

There was a beat of silence before Todoroki spoke again in his usual quiet, but commanding, tone. "You know, (Y/N), there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

You looked up at the boy curiously as he stopped walking to stare at you.

"What's that?" you questioned inquisitively.

Todoroki's brows furrowed, as if he was working to figure out a complex math equation. "Is your dad... the Puppetmaster?"

You froze, caught off-guard by the sudden invasive question. "Err..." you muttered, unsure of how to respond. This was exactly why you were worried about getting close to any of the top Hero Course members. Todoroki didn't shift his gaze from yours as he waited for your reply.

Turning your eyes towards the ground, you mumbled a small, "Yeah."

Todoroki cocked his head slightly at your affirmative response. "Hmm..." he murmured to himself. "I figured as much."

"My father..." Todoroki's eyes went cold at the mention of Endeavor. "When the Puppetmaster came to Japan, the two of them had frequent run-ins. I heard he was having a daughter; my father seemed pretty agitated about it. Plus, you have the same surname as the Puppetmaster's civilian name."