𝓝𝓸𝓽 𝓗𝓸𝔀 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓢𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 𝓖𝓸𝓮𝓼 | Katsuki Bakugou x Male reader

Chapter 3

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The smell of blood... it was on his breath.

What does he do? (M/N) thought. Drink it? He imagined the president sipping it from a teacup. Dipping a cookie into the stuff and pulling it out dripping red.

Outside the window, a car came to life, soft and quiet like the purr of a cat, then it faded away into the distance. It slipped off as it arrived, unnoticed.

The room seemed to be spinning in slow, lopsided circles, and (M/N) wondered if he was going to black out. He leaned forward and clutched the desk with one hand. The other still held Katsuki's cookie. He thought it had a tiger lily on it, but it had been reduced to crumbs in his fist. (M/N( didn't even realise he was crushing it, but he guessed he had to hold on to something while his world veered out of control.

A visit from President Nezu. Districts on the verge of uprisings. A direct threat to Shoto, with others to follow. Everyone (M/N) loved doomed. And who knows who else would pay for his actions. Unless he turned things around on the tour. Quiet the discontent and put the president's mind at rest. And how? By providing to the country beyond any shadow of a doubt that he loved Katsuki Bakugou.

I can't do it, (M/N) thought. I'm not that good. Katsuki was the good one, the likeable one. He could make people believe anything. (M/N) was the one who shut up and sat back and let the blonde do as much of the talking as possible. But it wasn't Katsuki who had to prove his devotion. It was (M/N).

(M/N) heard his mother's light, quick tread in the hall. She can't know, he thought. Not about any of this. He reached his hand over the tray and quickly brushed the bits of cookie from his palm and fingers. He took a shaky sip of his tea.

"Is everything all right, (M/N)?" she asked.

"It's fine. We never see it on television, but the president always visits the victors before the tour to wish them luck," (M/N) said brightly.

His mother's face flooded with relief. "Oh. I thought there was some kind of trouble."

"No, not at all," (M/N) said. His mother let out a sigh, seemingly convinced by what (M/N) was saying.

"Why don't I start your bath?" she asked.

"Great," (M/N) said, and he could see how pleased she was by his response.

Since (M/N) had been home he had been trying hard to mend his relationship with his mother. Asking her to do things for him instead of brushing aside any offer of help, as he did for years out of anger. Letting her handle all the money he won. Returning her hugs instead of tolerating them. (M/N)'s time in the arena made him realise how he needed to stop punishing her for something she couldn't help, specifically the crushing depression she fell into after his father's death. Because sometimes things happen to people and they aren't equipped to deal with them.

Like (M/N), for instance. Right now.

Besides, there was a wonderful thing she did when he arrived back in the district. After their families and friends had greeted (M/N) and Katsuki at the train station, there were a few questions allowed from reporters. Someone asked his mother what she thought of (M/N)'s new boyfriend, and she replied that, while Katsuki was the very model of what a young man should be, (M/N) wasn't old enough to have any boyfriend at all. She followed that with a pointed look at Katsuki. There was a lot of laughter and comments like, "somebody's in trouble," from the press, and Katsuki dropped his hand and sidestepped away from him.

That didn't last long - there was too much pressure to act otherwise - but it gave the two an excuse to be a little more reserved than they had been in the Capitol. And it could account for how little (M/N) had been seen in Katsuki's company since the cameras left.