"MIDORIYA IZUKU? WHO'S THAT?" (Y/N) asks curiously.
She had been mindlessly scrolling on her phone when that name caught her attention. It's a pretty name, both the given and family name. However, it is the family name that catches her attention.
Midoriya. Green Valley.
"You don't know who that is, (L/N)?" Akimiya questions, slinging her arm over (Y/N)'s shoulder. "It's impossible not to."
"Is he popular?" The girl inquires. She knows that this couldn't have been the case. Aldera Junior High was home to two groups of 'popular' students: one being her own friend group and the second one being Bakugou Katsuki's crowd.
She only knows he exists because her friend, Matsumoto, is dating one of the guys that Bakugou keeps around him all the time. Aside from the occasional 'hello' and days when Matsumoto wanted to merge the two groups together and hang out, (Y/N) never really took the time out of her day to talk to him.
All she knows is that he is rowdy and that she does not enjoy his company.
Akimiya giggles, sharing a look with Matsumoto. (Y/N) recognizes it instantly; Akimiya is making fun of her. She thinks it's subtle, but (Y/N) has seen it long enough to know what it means and when it is used.
"You're so cute," Akimiya coos, pinching (Y/N)'s cheeks. "Isn't she so cute?"
(Y/N) hates when she does that.
Matsumoto laughs. "You don't know what goes on around you, do you?" She asks, subtly gesturing to one of the seats by the window. "Do you see that boy?"
(Y/N) follows Matsumoto's line of sight, careful not to appear suspicious, and her eyes land on a head of silky brown hair parted to the side.
"That's Midoriya Izuku?" she asks, lowering her voice to a hushed whisper.
"No, but that's who you'll become if you don't pay attention to your surroundings," Akimiya cackles, acting like this is the funniest thing in the world. "Endo Kenji, the nerd who always stares out the window because he has nothing better to do!"
At times like this, (Y/N) wishes that her friend knew how to control her voice. Endo glances in their direction and when she makes eye contact with the poor boy, she averts her gaze out of embarrassment.
"I think he heard us," Matsumoto says and Akimiya laughs again, louder this time. It's immature, but that's how the environment here at Aldera Junior High is. To preserve power, those at the top play little mind games with those below them. Sometimes, it's annoying and other times, downright cruel.
Suddenly, an explosion rings out and from the sound of it, people are shouting. The blast is loud and for a while, (Y/N) can't hear anything but the explosion. She doesn't have to look outside the window to know who it is.
No matter how many times this happens, she cannot get used to the sound.
"Deku!" She hears him shout from outside the classroom window. "You think you're so brave, huh?"
Deku. What a horrible name to give someone. Useless. Good for nothing. Worthless. At this point, the entire school calls Bakugou's toy Deku. Most people aren't even aware of his real name, her included.
"(L/N), you should look outside the window," Matsumoto says.
"No thanks," replies (Y/N). Unlike most of her peers, she doesn't want to watch the fight play out. She has never been one for action, and that sentiment stands even when Bakugou fights Deku.
It can hardly be called a fight. It's not a fair one, unlike most battles. Is it a dirty battle? One-sided conflict? Bullying? Injustice? No doubt, it falls in one of the latter and that just makes it worse. She isn't interested in watching injustice play out right before her very eyes.
"Do you know what Deku looks like?" Akimiya asks, her eyes trained on (Y/N)'s face.
"He has green hair," (Y/N) replies, recalling the one time she walked in on them fighting inside a classroom. It probably wasn't much of a fight, but (Y/N) hadn't stuck around long enough to find out. "He's scrawny."
"Do you know his eye color?" Matsumoto questions.
"Do you think I want to make eye contact with him?" (Y/N) responds.
She can't bring herself to make eye contact with him. Even if someone tied her to a chair and forced her to look him in the eyes, she would look away. She does not want a reminder of how terrible of a person she is.
Her friends interpret her reply differently. Akimiya howls with laughter and Matsumoto chuckles.
"You're right. If you look him in the eyes, you'll get infected with his quirklessness," Akimiya wheezes. "Even you can be funny at times."
Matsumoto nods along, typing something on her phone. Maybe it's her boyfriend.
"Look outside just once!" Akimiya pleads, and (Y/N) realizes that Bakugou is still harassing Deku. "Just one look! It won't kill you."
Matsumoto comes near (Y/N) and points outside the window along with Akimiya. Reluctantly, (Y/N) turns her head and her eyes survey the scene. Bakugou and his two friends have their backs turned to the classroom window and explosions are emanating from Bakugou's hands.
Slammed against a wall is Deku, and when he lifts his head to look at Bakugou, his eyes meet with hers. They're emerald green, the kind that she has only read about. The light catches his eye and they sparkle like some kind of precious gem before tears start spilling.
She looks away. Unbothered, that's what she wants to seem like. If she continued staring into his eyes any longer, she was sure that all of her emotions would overflow.
"Look at him, he's crying!" Akimiya says, slapping (Y/N)'s shoulder. "You caught him at such a hilarious moment."
A vulnerable moment.
Bakugou sends another blast his way and the green-eyed boy dodges, begging for him to stop.
"That, my darling," Matsumoto whispers in (Y/N)'s ear. "is your precious Midoriya Izuku."
That is Midoriya Izuku?
"That's Deku."
"You're getting the idea," Akimiya says. "He's definitely Deku. Every aspect of him is an embodiment of that name. Useless. But his real name is Midoriya Izuku."
"I like his name," (Y/N) says, not thinking before speaking. "It's pretty."
"You've gone mad," Matsumoto chides. "What's next, you're going to say you like his eyes too? Then what, his face?"
I do like his eyes.
"I was just saying," she retorts, brushing it off. "There's nothing wrong with saying that I like his name. He's still Deku, no matter what."
As someone who is part of the popular crowd at Aldera Junior High, (Y/N) has everything she could possibly want. Except for one simple thing.
She does not have a backbone.
She does not want to become one of those people who are invisible, who live their banal everyday life in the shadows. Or worse, the people who are toyed with by everyone in the school.
People like Midoriya Izuku. People like Deku.
Someone from outside the window cackles. It's Matsumoto's boyfriend, and his ugly laughter rivals that of Akimiya.
"You should see this!" He says to Bakugou and as he hands over his phone, he waves to the three.
(Y/N) waves back with a small smile.
Bakugou snickers, and she can tell that they've come up with something else to torment him.
"I've heard a little rumor," he says, sneering at Midoriya. "They say that if anyone looks into your eyes, they'll be infected with your quirklessness."
It's a statement that's all too familiar. She looks at Matsumoto, who is covering her mouth with her hand as she laughs. Is this what she was texting about? Her friends seem to be enjoying this so she can't appear disheartened. She maintains the smile on her face.
"W-what?" The boy stutters. "That's not true."
(Y/N) can see why Bakugou keeps picking on Midoriya; his reactions are entertaining and probably fuel his complex.
"Is that so?" Bakugou asks, picking him up by the hair and (Y/N) internally winces at the sound of hairs being ripped out of his head.
Akimiya laughs like she just can't get enough of this and (Y/N) feels repulsed by her.
Bakugou makes him face the classroom window. "Shouldn't you be thanking the person who gave us this idea?" Bakugou asks, his tone sickeningly sweet. "Say 'thank you (L/N)'."
Her smile drops.
Midoriya lifts his head to look at her and their eyes meet again. His eyes glittered with the remnants of tears and they looked oh so tired. Tired of the treatment he has been reviewing, tired of this day, tired of everything. For a second, she saw his eyes flicker and they burned with hatred.
Was it directed at her or was it directed at Bakugou? She doesn't know the answer, but the former option terrifies her. She doesn't wish to be hated.
"Thank you (L/N)," the boy says, staring at her blankly.
She's seen enough. She turns around and walks away, putting as much distance as she can between them. She takes a seat behind Endo, the boy with the side part, not daring to look at the scene outside the classroom.
"Deku," she hears Bakugou cackle. "You didn't say it well enough. You scared her off!"
"That's not it!" Akimiya adds, like fuel to the fire. "(L/N) doesn't want to get infected."
Matsumoto holds out her palm and the two give each other a high-five. To them, it's clever and funny but Midoriya is probably already tired of it all.
"You guys are heartless," Endo says, looking at her with contempt and turning back to stare out of the window.
It stings more than it should. You guys. To him, she's one of them. To everyone, she's one of them. She wants to say something, to prove that she is not that twisted deep inside, but she does not say anything.
She needs to grow a backbone.
—
"You walked away so fast!" Akimiya says, and all (Y/N) can do is stare at the drink that is in her hands.
The only thing going through her head is what Endo said and as she looks around at who she is hanging out with, the reality hits her in the face. She really is one of them.
"This is a nice place," Matsumoto's boyfriend hums, his arm around her. It's romantic but at the same time, these people don't deserve romance.
"It is, isn't it?" Matsumoto muses, laying her head on his shoulder. "The three of us come here all the time. It's a perfect spot for hanging out. Inside this private karaoke room, you can sing and order food. And just outside, we have that bowling alley."
"That, and there's a little store right there," Akimiya chimes in. "You can never get bored."
"This is boring!" Bakugou remarks harshly. "We should have just gone to the arcade."
Just say you can't sing, (Y/N) thinks. The thought of him singing is hilarious. She's sure that someone like him won't be able to hit a single note.
"What the hell did you say?"
She looks around to see what she missed and who he was addressing, but his eyes are focused on her. So are everyone else's.
"What?"
"I asked you what you said," he repeats through gritted teeth. "You think I can't sing?"
Had she accidentally let her thoughts slip? She searches for something to say to calm him down, to quell his anger, when Akimiya laughs. (Y/N) has never been happier to hear her friend's laughter.
"(L/N), you're on a roll today!" She exclaims.
"Bakugou, she's right," Matsumoto's boyfriend says, taking a long drag of his cigarette. "You don't look like you can sing."
(Y/N) should be glad that he is coming to her rescue, but all she can focus on is the cigarette in his hand. They're in junior high. They shouldn't be smoking. It seems that he also knows what she is looking at because he quickly hides the cigarette behind his back, as if doing that will magically erase it from her memory.
"How many times have I told you to put that thing out?" Bakugou yells. "I don't want that shit on my record. Now this extra saw it!"
"She won't tell!" Matsumoto yells back, and (Y/N) is glad that her friend has her back. "She doesn't say anything to anyone."
"Exactly!" Akimiya adds. "She doesn't have enough backbone, so she's fine."
It bothers her. She knows this, but she does not want to hear it from someone else.
Bakugou is looking at her, observing her, and she can tell what he is thinking. She smiles and shrugs, acting like it doesn't bother her. She can just pretend that this is her defining characteristic, the role that's assigned to her in this group.
He stares at her a while longer before letting out a 'tch' and looking away.
"I can sing," he says. "I'm going to show you fuckers that I can sing."
"That's the spirit!" Akimiya shouts as his friends cheer him on.
He grabs a microphone and starts shuffling through the songs until he settles on one he likes. The music starts with a distinct hum, and (Y/N) recognizes it. This song is one of her favorites and it's definitely on the softer side. The original singer's voice had soothed her and she used it as a comfort song.
Bakugou does the song justice, his voice flowing like warm honey and touching all the deep parts of her soul. When he is done, all she can do is stare at him. She's starstruck, and he can sense that because he smirks.
"How's that for you?"
She doesn't even know what to say, so she just claps. The rest of them do too, and one of Bakugou's friends teases him for having such a suave persona when he is singing.
"I'm going to be the best at everything, so it's natural that I'm the best at singing too."
Big words. But as he smiles at all his friends like his talent is no big deal, she almost believes him. She almost forgets everything else about his personality and everything else that he has done, and all she can focus on are the past few minutes when he sang with his entire heart.
"I think (L/N)'s falling in love with you," Akimiya remarks, slapping (Y/N)'s shoulder. "She's still staring at where you used to be."
"Don't do that," Bakugou says, his face souring. He does not like the idea of someone falling in love with him.
"I'm not!" she responds, quick to defend herself. "I just really liked your voice!"
"That sounds like a love confession!" Akimiya squeals. "It's almost like you're saying, 'oh bakugou, please serenade me with your beautiful voice'. Tell me that this doesn't sound like a confession."
The sour expression stays on Bakugou's face, almost like it has been painted there.
"In her defense, she said Deku's name was pretty," Matsumoto says, coming to (Y/N)'s rescue. "That doesn't mean she likes Deku."
"You like Deku?" Bakugou asks, his voice matching the sour look on his face.
Where are your comprehension skills? That's what she wants to say, but she doesn't.
"I just like his name because it is green and I like green!" She replies, not understanding why she has to defend herself for liking something as simple as someone's name or someone's voice.
"Leave her alone," the other guy with longer hair says. "Let's just enjoy the day."
"We should definitely hang out again," Akimiya says, following the change of topic. "We have to, especially since it's our last year of junior high and we'll probably all go different ways next year."
"We can still hang out again," Matsumoto's boyfriend replies. "You aren't planning on ditching us after graduating, are ya?"
"We're not but Bakugou might," Matsumoto laughs. "We'll definitely hang out again. Seal it in. Pinky promise."
"What are we, five?" Bakugou asks, but he brings his pinky out. It's surprising, considering what Matsumoto said about him and what she already knows about his aspirations.
"How do group pinky promises work?" (Y/N) asks. It's not like the other ones where they put their palms on top of each other. Their pinkies have to be interlocked and it wouldn't really work in a group setting.
"I don't know," Matsumoto shrugs, "Just lock your pinky with someone. There's six of us so it'll be even."
Matsumoto naturally reaches out to her boyfriend and Akimiya turns to the one closest to her with a smile. It's Bakugou's second friend. That means (Y/N) is left with Bakugou.
She hooks her pinky with his, locking in the promise.
She really is one of them.
(AUTHOR'S NOTE)
woohoo the first chapter
is in. unlike most izuku stories
i've read, i wanted to make
one where he does not
really like the reader. idk
i just really like the idea
of izuku hating the reader oops.
and also sorry if
you guys dont like the
reader bc she's one of those
people who are in the "popular"
group that is inherently mean.
she's not as bad as them
internally, but at the same time,
she is spineless and continues
to be friends with them so
she is just as bad as them,
no matter what she is like
on the inside.
i have big plans for this
one and hopefully i'll
carry them out.
love you guys ♡