words that never reached you
pairing: katsuki bakugou x gn!reader
summary: after failing the license exam, you want to give up on being a hero. but bakugou believes there's still one reason for you to stay at UA...
you had failed as a hero.
after training so hard, you failed the license exam. this was it, the end of your career as a hero, before it even had begun. maybe you weren't made for this. maybe your quirk didn't work for a hero. maybe you should've tried your luck as a member of the support faculty. maybe you would have succeeded there. but now it was too late to change things. without a license, you couldn't continue to attend UA. you'd never be able to take part in an internship without a license and you'd always be left behind. you'd always be the one out of class 1A who failed to obtain her license…
while the other students were celebrating their victories, unaware that you had failed to obtain your hero license, you were alone in your dorm room, packing your things. if you'd hurry up, maybe you could finish packing everything by tonight and have your parents pick you up, before anyone even realizes you were gone.
though there was a certain hotheaded blonde boy that you didn't factor into the equation, who showed up at your room unannounced…
"oi, dumbass! come outside, i wanna see ya!"
you froze as you heard bakugou's voice. immediately, you started to worry that he had figured out why you weren't celebrating with everyone else. that you were just lying to your friends when you told them you got your hero license.
you didn't let bakugou wait too long. you didn't want him to start suspecting anything, if he didn't already know what was going on. and you certainly didn't want him to open the door and see all your stuff in boxes. so, you quickly opened the door and slipped outside into hall in one swift motion, giving bakugou no time to catch a glimpse of your room.
"why aren't you with the others? you should celebrate that you finally got that license! you're a real hero now~!"
bakugou said exactly what you didn't want to hear. you weren't a hero, far from it! you were just a failure who couldn't even be honest with their friends.
"i don't feel like it, i'm sleepy… can i go back to bed now?"
bakugou's eyes were glued to your face, inspecting you closely. with every second you just stood here, having to think about what a failure you were, you started to get closer and closer to crying. and bakugou noticed it too.
"don't fucking lie to me…" he mumbled softly. "what's wrong? you can talk to me!"
you couldn't hold it together anymore. knowing that the usually rough and blunt bakugou was now being so kind and soft with you, when you didn't even deserve it. tears started rolling down your cheeks, as bakugou gently wiped them away.
"i failed the license exam! i didn't make it! i'm not a hero and i never will be…"
you sobbed quietly, breaking bakugou's heart as all he could do was just stand there and watch, knowing he couldn't do anything to cheer you up. even as he spoke up to comfort you, he knew his words wouldn't reach you.
"this isn't the end, y/n! you can just re-do the exam next year! or you'll ask if they got any extra classes you could take! surely there has to be some way…"
"i'll always be a step behind! i'll never be able to catch up to someone as great as you. i will always just stay a mediocre hero if i continue staying at UA…"
bakugou stopped. the way you were wording this, it sounded an awful lot like you didn't plan on sticking around until the next semester.
"dumbass, don't tell me you're actually planning to leave? are you fucking stupid or what? this is your dream! you said you always wanted to be a hero, so you can't give up now! no matter how long it takes, you gotta keep going!"
you sobbed quietly. you knew bakugou was right. of course he was right! you were a failure and a coward, who wanted to run away when things got hard.
"without the hero license, i might be forced to repeat the entire school year. i'll have to start at zero again and without my friends by my side! without all of you, i won't be able to make it. there's no reason for me to stay…"
bakugou could only watch as you rushed back into your dorm room, locking the door behind you. he didn't attempt to open the door, even if he could've easily broken it down. instead, he rested his head against the door, as he spoke up again.
he said quietly, unsure if his words even reached you.
"i know the timing is bad, but perhaps if i had made clear how important you are to me, maybe you'd realize that this is where you belong. and then you wouldn't have to go. because you'd know how in love i am with you…"
you didn't reply. perhaps you didn't even hear him. the thought of him pouring his heart out to you without you even hearing him made bakugou angry, causing him to raise his voice.
"you're good enough, dumbass! you're good enough for this school! and you're good enough for me! i think you're a great hero already! it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, i think you're the greatest hero ever! so please, open the door and talk to me!"
still, nothing. the thought of what might happen behind that door was killing him. you were probably curled up on your bed and crying and he wouldn't be able to comfort you!
bakugou sighed softly, his forehead leaning against the door as he closed his eyes.
"if you can hear me, let me just say how much i want you to stay…"
bakugou waited. but he didn't get an answer…
