Battle of Wills ~ (bakugou x reader)

Chapter Five

You breathed a sigh of relief upon entering the dark gym the following morning. It was empty.

All day yesterday following your encounter with the top boy of the Hero Course you felt on-edge. You didn't know if Bakugou would be persistent enough to track you down at school, so you made sure to stay away from him. You even ate your lunch in the quietness of your dorm room, despite Sakura's questioning.

It wasn't until fifth period that you caught a glimpse of him, causing you to quickly hide behind a nearby corner. He walked through the crowded hallway with a permanent scowl on his face, hands tucked inside the pockets of his pants. His imposing figure caused the swarms of people inhabiting the halls to part for him as he walked. Whether it was out of respect or fear, you couldn't tell. Either way, it was clear he was incredibly well-known among the students of U.A. Academy.

You let out a relieved breath when he forcefully swung open the door to a nearby classroom and disappeared inside. You had no way of knowing how long his strangely-piqued interest in you would remain.

At least it seemed clear now that he was leaving you alone. The gym had always been your solidary safe-haven, so it made you apprehensive when it was so destructively tainted by Bakugou's angry presence.

Setting down your gym bag by the door, you walked over to the blue plastic bins containing the hand wraps. The familiar smells of rubber and sweat, strange as it may sound, made your mind feel a bit more at ease.

After wrapping your hands, you began to stretch out your muscles. Mid-way through a toe-touch, the gym door slammed open with a loud bang. Startled, you looked up to see Bakugou's imposing figure stomping into the previously-quiet building.

You sat frozen on the floor, waiting for Bakugou to notice you. His fiery eyes met yours from a moment, but you were surprised when he glanced away, remaining quiet as he unpacked his gym bag.

For a moment, you grew self-conscious. Your typically work-out clothes consisted of leggings and a sports bra. While it wasn't the most conservative attire, you usually didn't deal with others during your training. Especially men as volatile as Bakugou.

You quickly shook your head. What am I thinking? Bakugou's presence shouldn't have any impact on your workout. You were already here, you would just have to ignore him and hope he wouldn't start picking a fight with you again.

You put back in the earbud you had momentarily taken out as you stood up, finished with your stretching. As you warmed up against the punching bag, you were momentarily startled when Bakugou stood up and started walking towards...

The punching bag right next to me.

There were five swinging black bags arranged in a row to choose from. Hell, there were even hundreds of other pieces of equipment to choose from. What was he doing?

You heard his hard grunts as he practiced his punches against the fabric of the bag. The tight muscles of his arms flexed and relaxed as he drove repeated strikes into the surface. His movements paused as he felt your inquisitive eyes on him.

"What are you looking at, dumbass?" Bakugou snarled as he turned to face you. The intensity of his sharp features up close fed the growing nerves in the pit of your stomach. He reminded you of some sort of wild animal.

His downturned eyebrows and narrow vermillion eyes complemented the sharpness of his cheekbones and jawline. His lips were twisted into a perpetual scowl, and his ash blond hair was messy, stuck up in every direction. In some strangely deluded way, it almost resembled a spiky halo. Both Bakugou's attitude and appearance were the definition of intimidating.

You broke out of your moment of stunned silence. "What are you doing here, Bakugou?"

His mouth turned up to form some sort of predatory smirk, displaying a set of sharp white teeth. "Hah?" he questioned snidely. "This is a public gym. What's wrong with getting an early-morning workout?"

You couldn't answer that. You were using the Hero gym. It was weirder for you, a random General Studies student, to be here than him. However, you knew his sudden appearance had something to do with your interaction yesterday; you thought it better to stay quiet, though. Maybe you would both finish your workouts without any further altercations. One could hope.

You turned back to the swinging bag as you continued your reps. You could hear his sharp breathing over your left shoulder over the music blasting through your earbuds, but refused to acknowledge him.

Finishing your jabs, you began unwrapping your hands. You had finished your reps with the punching bag earlier than usual, but spending extended time next to an angry bull set you on edge. You walked towards the indoor track to get some peace of mind.

No sooner had you started a slow jog than you heard loud footsteps coming from behind you. Bakugou had started a slow pace to match yours, and his tall figure was only a few feet from your back.

You stopped your feet and turned to face the boy, pissed off. "Okay, seriously. What do you want?" you questioned Bakugou, crossing your arms.

Bakugou slowed his running to stop at your figure. A now-familiar devilish smirk danced on his lips as he stuck his large hands into the pockets of his sweats. "I think I've already told you. I want you to fight me," he drawled in a low voice.

There was something chilling about his tone, and you frowned. "And I think I've already told you: I'm not going to fight you," you replied.

Bakugou leaned his shoulders back, asserting a confident posture. "That's why I'm here. You'll eventually change your mind if you ever want to get rid of me." He smirked.

"Sheesh," you muttered, annoyed at his persistence.

The blond took his hands out of his pockets, crossing his arms in front of his broad chest. "What even is your quirk anyway, (Y/N)?" he asked in a suspicious, yet haughty tone.

Your eyes widened. "How do you know my name?" you questioned. Figures, since he went to the work of finding out your schedule, he'd obviously learn your name too. "And why are you so obsessed with fighting me? I'm not even in the Hero Course?"

"Tch. You ask too many questions." Bakugou frowned. "Answer mine first, and then maybe I'll answer yours."

You closed your eyes, feeling a headache forming. Dealing with an oversized child was not the ideal way to start your morning. "My quirk doesn't matter," you mumbled, wanting to put an end to the conversation. It was obvious he was only going to dodge your questions.

Bakugou's face returned to its usual hard scowl. "Then my being here doesn't matter either," he responded as he started to jog again, leaving you standing behind him on the track.

"What a child," you mumbled to yourself as you started to jog behind him.

"I can hear you, fucking dumbass," Bakugou yelled from a few feet ahead. You slightly smiled to yourself at his irritation.

For the rest of your workout, the two of you remained in a blanket of silence. However, Bakugou still followed you from equipment to equipment like a pest you couldn't shake. His face revealed nothing, his body posture closed off and unwelcoming. You figured your best bet for getting answers would be confronting Todoroki since Bakugou had slipped his description in between his yelling the day before, but you decided you didn't care enough about Bakugou's strange behavior to get further entangled with the stars of Hero Course's class 1-A.

Finishing your workout, you almost expected Bakugou to follow you out. But the blond stayed behind, returning to the punching bags you had started at. You slipped out the large door, watching as the sliver of light coming from the building gradually disappeared as you were left standing outside.

Feeling the cool morning air on your face, you ran a hand through your sweaty hair.

What was that all about?