Ch. 6 Your Past

You rolled down the window on your side of the taxi to try to get some air, suddenly feeling very claustrophobic. 

It also gave you an excuse to avoid looking at Bakugo.

Seeing all those heroes tonight had reminded you of the heroes you had known. Faces you would have rather forgotten.

As a child when your parents realized that you could read minds, they did their best to keep it a secret. Your ability to read minds scared them, and they were your parents. How would others react?

Turned out, not well.

School was out of the question. Teachers didn't trust you and other parents didn't want you to be around their kids. So you mostly stayed home, lonely.

As you got older, your parents turned to the only people they thought could help – heroes.

At first the heroes were excited to work with you and your unique ability.

Even though you were just a teenager, having a mind reader on staff meant they could solve numerous cases without violence and possibly even prevent crimes from happening.

However, they quickly realized that your quirk was also a liability. They never knew when you were using it, and the potential for you to leak incredibly confidential and sensitive information was just too great.

The heroes had a choice to make, so they made you an offer.

One option was for you to not work with the heroes at all, but that didn't seem right and you truly wanted to help.

So you went with the second option. An agreement was made that you would live at a secret location where they would bring criminals to you, one at a time. You promised that you wouldn't have contact with anyone, so that there was no way you could leak any information you might find out during the investigation.

That sad little hotel room became your new home. No phone. No computer. No friends whatsoever. You were guarded and kept safe, a princess alone in her tower.

You accepted it all because you knew you were going to be helping people, helping heroes, helping society.

Just after your eighteenth birthday there was one young hero not much older than you who became a friend. The brief, flirty moments you saw each other each week eventually led to sneaking out, which eventually led to sleeping over, which eventually led to you both being caught.

You had been so excited that there was someone you could talk to and share the details of your life with. Someone who knew what you were going through.

For the first time, you had felt normal and desired for something other than your quirk.

And you know what the heroes said to him when they found the two of you in your room that morning?

"Good job," they told him. "We knew it was only a matter of time before she broke her word. Someone with a quirk like that just can't be trusted."

Had he been part of this plan all along? You didn't ask and didn't want to know. You immediately left town to start over in a place where no one would know you or your cursed quirk, and you vowed to never use it again.

From then on, you were a normal person. 

A normal person riding in a taxi with one of the hottest heroes alive.

But he was still one of them.

"Aren't they going to wonder why you're not back there celebrating whatever that was?"

"No," Bakugo scoffed. "They're just a bunch of assholes congratulating each other. I'm over it."

Oh.

"You both look dressed up tonight," the taxi driver said over his shoulder. "Headed home after a fun night out?"

"No," you replied, "just going home."

"All right," the driver said. "I'll have you two home in no time."

"Wait... home?" Bakugo asked you. For a brief second his hand touched yours before he pulled it back and you both went back to looking out the window. 

"You're a lucky man, mister," the driver said. "You have a beautiful wife."

"No," you said at the same time Bakugo said, "She's not my- "

"Oh, so it's like that," the driver chuckled. "Don't worry about it, I won't tell anyone obviously. The secrets my taxi could tell... I've seen it all."

Ignoring that comment, Bakugo turned to you. "Did he just say that he's driving you home?"

"Yes. I'm going home." You scooted a little further away from him toward the window. This was so ridiculous that he thought you couldn't even be in a taxi by yourself. "I told you I didn't need an escort."

"What happened to your date?"

"Oh... He canceled."

"So that was who you were on the phone with earlier? Your boyfriend?"

He saw you on the phone? How long had he been outside before he said something?

"Not that it's your business but yes. Well, I guess he isn't really my boyfriend. I don't know what he is."

Bakugo stayed silent and stared out his window so you stared out yours.

The silence was way too uncomfortable. You'd spent too much time in silence in your past, and you hated it now. So you started rambling just to fill the space.

"We just started seeing each other actually and haven't really put a label on anything but he does stay over most nights so I don't know –"

Bakugo still didn't say anything so you kept going.

"Then again, we've only been dating a few days. I'm not sure why he canceled since tonight was his idea."

"Sounds like a loser," was his only comment.

"He just works a lot."

"What does he do?"

"I... don't know."

Bakugo finally stopped staring out the window and turned sharply to look at you. "You've got to be kidding me. How do you not know what he does for a living?"

You were a little taken aback by this sudden change in tone. "I think it's, like, odd jobs? I don't know. We haven't really had time to talk about it."

Bakugo seemed even more exasperated by that answer. "How have you not talked about it?"

"We've been busy, okay?"

"Doing what?"

"I don't know, stuff! Back off!" you said, crossing your arms and turning away from him.

"Nevermind," Bakugo said, going back to his own obviously thrilling view out the window. "Sorry I asked."

A few minutes later the taxi pulled up to your building. "You're home, kids," the driver said. "Have fun."

"He doesn't live here. This is just me."

"Oh."

"Stay here," Bakugo told the driver as he got out. "I'll be right back."

"What are you doing?" you asked him. "Get back in the car."

"This is where you live?" he asked, his face wrinkling as he took a look around.

Noticing his expression, you became suddenly and acutely aware of how your apartment building must seem to him. Of course he would look down on a place like this. Not everyone was a fancy hero who went to fancy black tie events.

Helping people, yeah right. As if heroes even knew the people they thought they were helping. 

"I know it's not the nicest," you said. "But yes, this is where I live, for now."

"What does that mean, 'for now'?"

"I don't have a job anymore, remember?"

You watched him look around again, obviously displeased by what he saw.

"Let me at least walk you up," he said, starting to walk toward the building, but you reached out and put a hand on his chest to stop him.

Your hand on his chest.

His... hard... chest.

You froze, your face suddenly very, very hot.

"Are you okay? What's the matter with you?"

"Yep, uh huh. I need to go," you said, removing your hand and moving quickly toward the stairs.

"Y/n, wait."

You didn't wait. In fact, you ran up the stairs faster.

"Goodbye, Bakugo."