Smoke Screen (Bakugo x Reader )

Chapter Five: Melodies

What's wrong with my body? I was so exhausted when I went to bed last night I didn't even get under the blankets. I should have slept for a good ten hours, so why the hell am I up at three in the morning. It couldn't have been any later than 9:30 when I made it to my room.

"Whatever," I sigh, dragging my feet over to the light switch. Slipping my feet into my white slippers, I grab my shower caddy and a pair of black athletic shorts and a F/C t-shirt that says, "Punch me in the face. I need to feel something real," across the chest in italic print.

The hallway is slightly darker than usual, every other light is turned off. The stairs, on the other hand, are brighter than my phone screen in the middle of the night. The soles of my slippers, while soft, slap against each step and echo softly around me.

On the ground level, I make my way to the girls' baths. The rushing water filling the porcelain tub awakens the sleeping need to use the toilet. Leaving the water to fill I take care of my business and decide to strip in the stall. It would be counterproductive to pull my pants back up just to take them off again in less than a minute. I deposit my dirty garments in a wicker basket and shiver in the cold air. The steam from the tub makes my skin colder until I sink into its maker. I can instantly feel and see my skin turn an odd shade of red as I soak the dried sweat off my skin. After a few minutes, I completely submerge myself in the water.

"Y/N!" My mother's scream reverberated off the tiled walls of the bathroom. "Y/N, baby please wake up!" She ripped me from the bath water and my eyes shot open.

"Mama?" My six-year-old voice squeaked. "Mama, why are you crying?"

She never did answer my question, but she did pull me into a hug that hurt. After that night she didn't let me take unsupervised baths for another two years.

"Y/N."

My eyes shoot open under the water and I make the mistake of sharply inhaling at the same time. Grabbing the side of the tub, I throw myself from the warm water to the cold tile. Coughing up a considerate amount of water, I focus on regulating my breathing.

Once the burning in my nose, throat, and chest subside it hits me.

"Hello?" I call out only to be answered by the steady drip-drip-drop of a leaky faucet.

I knew it was too good to be true, but I truly feel like I'm losing my mind. I know I'm losing my mind, there's no way I just heard my mother's voice. I was underwater and the sound of her wasn't muffled or distorted at all.

I pull the drain in the tub and quickly wash in the shower, keeping my back facing the wall. Even with the water set to the hottest setting, there are still chill bumps peppering my skin.

I towel off and get dressed as quickly as I can. I leave my dirty clothes and shower caddy in the bathroom. I need to take my attention off whatever mind games my own brain is trying to play on me.

I turn on the floor lamp in the entertainment corner of the common area. There's a pool table, a shelf filled with movies and board games, and about six bean bags against the wall near the tv. I drag a grey bean bag in front of the screen and grab the remote for the tv and the streaming stick.

Opening up YouTube, I search for my favorite channels. Time moves in a way that only can be described as weird. I swear I've only watched three fifteen minute videos, but the history shows ten and the sunrise has already begun to change the color of the sky to a soft pinkish-orange.

I search YouTube for TrapNation and pick a random playlist. Setting the volume to twelve, I walk to the kitchen and skillfully place a K-Pod in the coffee maker, pour enough water into the top for an extra large cup and press the start button. Paid baristas have nothing on my ability to follow directions.