❝ 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴 . ❞ [ Katsuki Bakugo x reader ]

06

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚂𝙸𝚇,

𝚂𝙴𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙳-𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽 𝙿𝙾𝙸𝙽𝚃 𝙾𝙵 𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆...

It was a goldmine. That was the only way the heroes could describe the message forum you gave them access to. They arrested three people thanks to the sting operation you assisted them with. As soon as those criminals were processed, they asked for you to construct another trap. Seeing you had little to no choice, you reluctantly obliged.

It's better to have the world hate you than live the lie of acceptance those heroes are feeding you. Dabi's words rang in your skull like a rusted bell. You could not help but wonder how true they were with every word the heroes spoke. They did not even trust you as far as they could throw you. Once you arrived, they told you what to do and as soon as you finalized the set-up, they told you to leave.

"So... " You began casually, "you get into any more fights?"

"No," Katsuki barked defensively. 

"Gettin' good grades?" You wondered, causing the boy to scoff.

"Of course I am," He asserted. You laughed as you turned your attention to the plate in front of you. It felt a little odd to be sitting in the small diner again, but, you had said you would be back so here you were. The last time you frequented the establishment, you had been ambushed by some of Hiroto's men. You were surprised they let you in after what you did.

"Any girls you like?" You asked out of the blue. "Or boys!" Katsuki was instantly enraged.

"If you keep asking stupid questions, I'm gonna leave!" He exclaimed as he hit his fist against the table, making the silverware clatter. You began to laugh, promising not to ask any more invasive questions for the rest of lunch. Just as you expected, the diner had a fantastic breakfast and served great lunch. You almost felt bad for dining and dashing a few months ago.

"How's Aizawa doing?" You asked offhandedly, your eyes trained on the meal you were on the verge of finishing.

"Hmm?" Katsuki shrugged, equally as casual. "Doesn't talk about his personal life, but he's acting like he normally does. Why do you care?" You paused your actions and glanced across the table at the boy. Katsuki did not notice your hesitation, however.

"I was just curious," You admitted, somewhat sheepishly. "He's not what I expected from a probation officer, seems like a good guy." Katsuki nodded his head.

"He is, but I'm surprised he volunteered to babysit you," Katsuki stated, gradually coming to pause his eating as well. Your eyes leaped up to look at him.

"He volunteered?" You echoed in shock. Katsuki nodded.

"He can be a hardass, but he... " You saw the way his expression shifted. His eyes glazed over, his mind recalling something traumatic. They focused on one object that sat on the table, but his mind did not register what the object even was.

"He'd die for us," Katsuki finished his sentence. "He almost did." Your eyes slightly widened at his words. You could sense the weight of his words, something terrible had truly taken place. Because of that, you were wary to ask any follow-up questions. Nevertheless, you had to know--

"What happened?" You dared to ask. Katsuki let out a sigh.

"We hadn't been in school for a month when we had our first fight with The League," He recalled solemnly. "It was at this place called the USJ and Aizawa was one of the only teachers there. We hardly knew how to defend ourselves back then. He beat the shit outta dozens of thugs single-handedly." 

You observed the way he spoke. The events were haunting him, and he could not have been the only one. At this point in his life, though, he had been through far worse. This particular event marked a special place in his mind: it was the first of the haunting incidents.

"But a Nomu--one a lot stronger than the one we fought--it... it almost killed him," Katsuki swallowed hard, despising the images that replayed in his mind. "The ground was literally cracked under him, but he still managed to use his quirk to save one of my classmates from Shigaraki. He was in the hospital for days. If All Might hadn't shown up... "

"I get the picture," You said in a hushed tone. You almost regretted asking him to tell you the story. 

"It was brutal." A frown settled deeply on your face, one you shared with the boy sitting across from you. Tension hung in the atmosphere while your mind tries to imagine the scenario. You could not possibly know how it felt to be in that moment.

But you did know something else: Shota Aizawa was not the traitor. Shigaraki would not have been so ruthless if Aizawa was feeding him information. You could cross him off the list and you felt relief wash over you. There was someone you knew you could trust. A traitor would not come so close to death for their students.

"I like him," You stated confidently. "And I can't say that about many heroes."

"Why not?" Katsuki wondered, seeing that it was now his turn to prod at your trauma. You chuckled bitterly.

"They, uh, I think they look down on me," You confessed, awkwardly twirling your fork. "Most of 'em probably don't think I can change, just like those kids you beat up." Katsuki's expression softened. He understood the struggle you were facing.

"It's uh... It's hard to be good when everyone keeps telling you that you're not," You shrugged in a vain attempt to down-play your feelings. You had always found it difficult to voice what you truly felt, let alone acknowledge that those feelings troubled you.

"You're not a villain," Katsuki asserted with a glowing determination behind his crimson eyes. "If you were bad, you wouldn't care about being good." You blinked harshly in an attempt to prevent the tears from forming.

𝚃𝙾 𝙱𝙴 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝙸𝙽𝚄𝙴𝙳...