𝓝𝓸𝓽 𝓗𝓸𝔀 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓢𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 𝓖𝓸𝓮𝓼 | Katsuki Bakugou x Male reader

Chapter 17

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The effect on the Gamemakers was immediate and satisfying. Several let out small shrieks. Others lost their grips on their wine glasses, which shattered musically against the ground. Two seemed to be on the verge of passing out. The look of shock was unanimous.

Now (M/N) had Kan Sekijiro's attention. He stared steadily at (M/N) as the juice from the peach he crushed in his hand ran through his fingers. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, "You may go now, Mr (L/N)."

(M/N) gave a respectful nod and turned to leave, but at the last moment he couldn't resist tossing the container of berry juice over his shoulder. He could hear the contents splatter against the dummy while a couple more wine glasses broke. As the elevator doors closed before (M/N), he saw no one had moved.

That surprised them, (M/N) thought. It was rash and dangerous and no doubt he would pay for it ten times over. But for the moment, he felt something close to elation and let himself savour it.

He wanted to find Shota immediately and tell him about his session, but no one was around. He guessed they were getting ready for dinner and decided to go take a shower himself, since his hands were stained from the juice.

As (M/N) stood in the water, he began to wonder about the wisdom of his latest trick. The question that should always be his guide was, "Will this help Katsuki stay alive?" Indirectly, probably not. What happened in training was highly secretive, so there was no point in taking action against him when no one would know what his transgression was. In fact, last year he was rewarded for his brashness. This was a different sort of crime, though. If the Gamemmakers were angry with him and decided to punish him in the arena, Katsuki could get caught up in the attack as well. Maybe it was too impulsive, but he couldn't say he was sorry for doing it.

As everyone gathered for dinner, (M/N) noticed Katsuki's hands were faintly stained with a variety of colours, even though his hair was still damp from bathing. He must have done some form of camouflage after all. Once the soup was served, Shota got right to the issue on everyone's mind. "All right, so how did your private sessions go?"

(M/N) exchanged a look with Katsuki. Somehow he wasn't that eager to put what he did into words. In the calm of the dining room, it seemed very extreme. "You first," (M/N) said to Katsuki. "It must have been really special. I had to wait for forty minutes to go in."

Katsuki seemed to be struck with the same reluctance (M/N) was experiencing. "Well, I did the camouflage thing." He hesitated. "Not exactly camouflage. I mean, I used the dyes."

"To do what?" Rumi asked.

(M/N) thought of how ruffled the Gamemakers were when he entered the gym for his session. The smell of cleaning fluids. The amt pulled over that spot in the centre of the gym. It must have been to conceal something they were unable to wash away. "You painted something, didn't you? A picture."

"Did you see it?" Katsuki asked

"No. But they'd made a real point of covering it up," (M/N) said.

"Well, that would be standard. They can't let one tribute know what another did," Emi said, unconcerned. "What did you paint? Was it a picture of (M/N)?"

"Why would he paint a picture of me?" (M/N) asked, somehow annoyed.

"To show he's going to do everything he can to defend you. That's what everyone in the Capitol's expecting, anyway. Didn't he volunteer to go in with you?" Emi said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Actually I painted a picture of Wendy," Katsuki said. "How she looked after (M/N) covered her in flowers."

There was a long pause at the table while everyone absorbed this. "And what exactly were you trying to accomplish?" Shota asked in a very measured voice.