Goddess Wink | Various!BNHA x Reader

That whole meeting had left a bad taste in your mouth. It was only the first day since your internship had even started, yet your spirits-and Izuku's as well-were already abysmally low. Naturally, most of it had to with the fact that the little girl, Eri, was clearly being put through something terrible. You understood the importance of remaining vigilant, just like Sir Nighteye had advised, but after seeing firsthand just how terrified Eri was, it was impossible not to be depressed.

It wasn't just concern and frustration weighing on your mind, though. You were also confused. You just didn't understand. Why did Aphrodite leave you that message? She was clearly signaling that she wanted for you to intervene and lend a helping hand, but your powers had been completely useless on Chisaki. Had she expected that you would fail? Were you supposed to use a more forceful tactic and make physical contact to put him under your control?

You obviously didn't have any answers, so you let out a sigh and lifted your head up towards the ceiling. You imagined her looking down on you from Mount Olympus, assuming she was even monitoring you right now.

"Aphie," you mumbled. "I failed. My powers didn't work on him. Because of that... Eri has to keep suffering. Because I wasn't strong enough."

You didn't receive any sort of response, although you'd expected as much. The gods were supposed to be completely cut off from you at this point. Even just the fact that she'd steered you in the right direction by showing you that dream was already cutting it close.

Well, there was no sense in sulking about things you couldn't change. The fact that you hadn't succeeded definitely hurt, but you hoped this bitterness would motivate you to do better next time, so that whenever a real opportunity presented itself, you would capitalize on it fully and bring Chisaki down.

Between you and Izuku, there was no chance you were going to let that little girl keep suffering.

As was usually the case whenever you found yourself battling upsetting thoughts, you did your best to keep on smiling so that others wouldn't worry about you. For a while, it seemed to do the trick. Your classmates, Izuku excluded, were none the wiser as to what was going on. You hung out with them in the communal area and chatted, watched TV, and occasionally joined in on whatever lighthearted conversation they were having.

But there were certain people that knew you better than others, and while you were doing the dishes after dinner, someone lightly nudged you in the ribs.

"Hey," Katsuki frowned. "What's the matter with you? Ever since you got back, you've been looking off. Do you regret not doing your internship with that playboy chicken guy or some shit?"

You smiled weakly. "It won't kill you to just call him Hawks, you know. And not really. Interning with him was fun, but I was the one who decided to try working under someone different this time. I'm not regretting it or anything."

"Then why the hell do you look like you just found out your dog died?"

"I don't have a dog."

"It's a figure of speech, dumbass." Before you could even protest, Katsuki grabbed the dishes you were rinsing off and lightly pushed you aside, taking your place in front of the sink. It was a small gesture, but you could tell that this was his way of helping out. Even just the fact that he was asking what was on your mind showed that he cared. "I like you best when you're not thinking about shit too much," he sighed. "It's weird seeing you force a smile and all that. It actually gives me the creeps. Makes me feel like all kinds of crazy shit will happen. Like if Deku were to suddenly stop wearing those stupid red shoes of his."

This time, the smile that burst across your lips definitely wasn't forced. "Aw," you mused. "You like me best when I'm not stressing out about stuff, huh? You basically just admitted that you like me in general, you know."