Bloodthirst | BNHA x Vampire!Reader

39. the final round

"I feel more confident knowing that I'll have blood on hand just in case I need it... but are you sure the people watching will even want to see me?" you frowned. "I can't help but feel like they might have been disturbed by what they witnessed. They might even want me to be disqualified."

"You won fair and square," Aizawa said. "It's true that you lost control at the end, but you didn't hurt Todoroki by choice, and besides, if we disqualify you, that'll just hurt your image even more. It'll be like an admission of guilt. We don't want to vilify one of our students, so the best thing to do in this situation is continue with the Sports Festival as planned."

Perhaps that was true. It would make you look a lot worse if they openly disqualified you and made a big show of calling out what you'd done. At least this way, you could fight in front of an audience again and prove that you had your powers under control.

You would show everyone watching that you were worthy of becoming a hero.

"Of course, the decision to keep competing is yours to make," Aizawa continued. "You can choose whether you want to bow out or not. But regardless, you will have our full support. We know what the problem is, and from now on, we're going to help you get it under control."

The relief you felt was impossible to describe. All this time, your greatest fear-apart from hurting someone-was that everyone would look at you as if you were a monster. You'd been terrified to imagine how people might react, but thus far, you'd been met with nothing but encouragement, and you got the sense that the rest of your class would probably react the same way.

As long as you had people like Izuku and Aizawa by your side, the situation was far from hopeless.

"Take some time to calm down a bit more," Aizawa suggested. "I'm going to fill everyone else in on Todoroki's condition, and then we can resume with the last round of the semifinals. And if you decide you want to drop out of the tournament, just let us know."

After how they'd all come together to help you, there was no way you would even consider dropping out. Besides, you were slated to compete in the finals, and the spectators were surely expecting an exciting match to wrap up the whole event.

But above all else, you were done running away.

"I'm still in it to win," you said. "You've all helped me out so much, and I've come way too far to turn back."

Izuku beamed at you, and even Shouto, as weakened as he was, nodded faintly from his bed.

Aizawa chuckled. "Good. I'm glad you haven't lost your will to fight. Hang around in one of the waiting rooms for now, and I guess you'll find out who your opponent is soon enough."

"Okay. Thank you, sensei. For everything." You nibbled nervously on your bottom lip. "Um... I know I can be a bit of a handful at times, and I crack a lot of jokes at your expense, but I really appreciate how much you've helped me with all of this. It means more than I can even express."

"Like I said," he hummed, "you may be heroes-in-training, but you're still students, and we're your teachers. It's our job to look after you. So, don't thank me for no reason. Just focus on doing the most that you can."

A grin stretched across your lips. When you'd first met him, Aizawa had struck you as a real hard-ass. But you now knew that beneath his prickly exterior was a total softie who always had his students' best interests in mind. Plus, he'd tolerated you thus far, which was an accomplishment in and of itself.

"I'll make you proud, sensei," you nodded. "Just watch."

You wished Shouto a speedy recovery, and although it was impossible not to feel guilty for what you'd done, you were comforted by the fact that everyone kept saying he was going to be okay. You would work diligently to get your bloodthirst under control and make sure that no one else ever had to go through what he'd experienced. It was a promise to yourself.