Bloodthirst | BNHA x Vampire!Reader

29. setting the stage

In the blink of an eye, two weeks had passed, and just like that, it was time for the Sports Festival to begin.

Perhaps you should have been more nervous. Even if the odds were slim, there was always the chance that Ambrose could still be in this world, and he might discover that you were actually alive. But you failed to see the logic in such a thing. With the assistance of whichever mages had brought him here, he had undoubtedly planned a way to return. After all, there was no point in killing you if he couldn't go back and secure the throne.

Almost nothing was ever absolute, but you wanted to be optimistic. You refused to let your encounter with Ambrose dictate how the rest of your life would go. You refused to live in fear over something that might never even happen.

If you allowed him to invade your thoughts at every waking moment, then he had already won.

That was why, all things considered, you weren't feeling too bad. You weren't the type of person who got nervous in front of crowds, so knowing that there would be countless spectators didn't really psyche you out either. Your experience in this world had been largely positive, and you intended to keep it that way. The Sports Festival was a stepping stone towards becoming a real hero, something that you had set your sights on long ago. You would be a fool to bow out now and waste such an amazing opportunity.

Besides, even if Ambrose was still here, he didn't have any prior knowledge of technology. You bet he didn't even know how a TV worked. And really, assuming he somehow got past the glaring information disconnect between both worlds, what were the odds that he would pass by a TV right when you were on screen? It would take one hell of a coincidence.

The longer you dwelled on the issue, the less likely it seemed that you were in danger. And even though you didn't know it yet, you were right. Ambrose had already returned to your old world. He had no doubts that you were dead. He believed that he would never see you again, not for as long as he lived.

Ambrose wasn't going to see you compete during the Sports Festival, but someone else was, and this would bring about more than enough complications on its own.

But that was a problem for a different day.

"Come on, Izuku. Deep breaths," you insisted, gently patting him on the back. He was, by all accounts, a nervous wreck. The longer you stayed in the waiting room, the more the tension seemed to build. The poor boy looked like he might actually faint.

He swallowed a big gulp of air, spent a few moments trying to let it pass through his chest, then finally exhaled.

"S-Sorry," he chuckled weakly. "I'm just... a lot more nervous than I expected. I can't say I've ever been super good in front of crowds of people to begin with. And it's not just about all the people watching, but also making sure I put on a good performance. I know that there's a lot at stake today."

"And you'll do an amazing job," you beamed. "Just like always."

"Thank you," he blushed, briefly averting his eyes. "I-I know you're just trying to cheer me up. I've still got a long way to go, though. I can't control my Quirk at all, so I'm not really sure how I'll handle each of the trials... but I guess it's pointless to worry too far in advance. It won't change anything. What matters is how I tackle my problems in the moment. But still." He let out a heavy sigh, then lightly slapped his own cheeks. "No matter how much I try to think about it logically, my body is just so tense!"

"It's normal to be nervous, but I bet that once you're actually out there, you'll be too focused on what's happening to even remember how you felt at the start."