Ever since her second encounter with All Might, Y/N found herself running into the hero quite frequently. Whether she be running errands or going out to explore, the hero always seemed to be right around the corner in an odd fashion. She had done her best to ignore him the first couple of times around, immediately backtracking the moment she had saw him, but he always seemed to somehow find her again in the end. At this point, her endeavors of escaping the hero were growing rather pointless, and much to her dismay, she had become used to his company.
He had kept true to his words when he offered to help her with her social problems, constantly dragging the girl to crowded areas so that they could talk. She had been reluctant in the beginning, not seeing the point in doing all these small things, but she had defiantly become used to him to an extent. It had been an extremely slow process undoubtedly, her wondering how the man had been able to keep up with her all this time, but against persistence that appeared to show no means to an end, her exterior stood no chance. He was pretty good company as well, helping her out with her grocery shopping a few times and never once getting annoyed at how distracted she was with the things going on around them. It seemed he had grown to understand the girl's habit, that even if she was looking somewhere else she would still be listening. It had helped their relationship quite a bit, the female glad to not have someone constantly breathing down her neck at all times.
She wasn't quite sure as to what lead to it, but she had at some point started sharing some of her meals with him after he showed an interest in wanting to hear how her cooking experience had been going. He was rather critical upon seeing the mess she had presented, a 'pasta salad' she had claimed, yet that hadn't stopped him from trying it. It appeared passable seeing as he didn't instantly begin throwing up everywhere. After that, he seemed to practically accept whatever abomination she brought that week with amusement, much to her apparent dismay.
He was obnoxious as always though, always seeming to forget how exactly normal people acted around each other whenever they were together. As hard as he tried to build up a relationship, he himself still lacked several social skills that she often had to remind him about. It was nothing too bad besides the way he spoke and how he thought about certain things, and somehow it made him much more humane to her that she had felt the previous tensity behind him decrease. That and the number of times she had caught him coughing behind her back. Still, some of his behaviors were still very strange to the female.
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"Thank you again for the meal Soma," Yagi said as he held the small green tupperware in his lap, the female simply nodding her head from beside him. He had stopped using the honorifics at some point, the girl having trouble meeting the same pace as he had. The man seemed rather understanding of her reluctance to drop it, however, though she could tell he wanted her to do so. She twirled a piece of hair as the blond placed the box down. "You're getting a lot better at cooking. It's a shame the appearance doesn't quite match the taste."
"As long as the taste is there, I could care less about the way it looks," she defended, a short chuckle rumbling out from him and causing her to sigh in disappointment. "I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong though. I followed the recipe almost perfectly and yet it always comes out the same way in the end."
"Perhaps you just didn't notice your mistake. It can be difficult to keep track of everything at once when you're still learning," he explained, attempting to comfort the girl. She only huffed out her cheeks. "I'm sure you'll get there someday. Just wait a little longer Soma."
"I suppose...Are you sure you're fine with it? I understand my preferences can be a bit borderline basic compared to other people but I am not one to easily be offended by opinions. Surely you must be taken aback a bit by the sight?" Her hand rubbed against her other arm as she frowned, feet tapping against the ground in a rhythmic motion. A short cough left her mouth as she opened it and closed in, her brows furrowing as she seemed to figure out what she wanted to say. "My apologies, I shouldn't have bombarded you like that. I should be grateful you enjoy how it tastes."
He quirked a brow in her direction. "What makes you think I wouldn't enjoy your cooking because of its appearance?"
"You have a tendency to freeze anytime I bring something with me as of recently," she droned out almost instantly in a practiced motion. "Your face scrunches up considerably whenever you notice it's a container and you always almost recommend we continue our chat somewhere without many people around, most likely because you don't want to make a scene. You always hesitate whenever you open the tupperware but your demeanor usually calms down after you've taken the first bite, meaning you don't have anything against the taste." The h/c haired girl sagged, her face darkening a bit as she looked at the ground intensely. "Please don't try to spare my feelings. It looks horrendous."
"I-It seems I may have doubted how observant you are about things," he choked out quickly, his eyes slightly widened. He managed to collect himself after a few seconds of watching the gloomy girl, releasing a sigh. "I'm afraid it'll take me a little longer before I can get used to the appearance. But I am not lying when I say the taste is there. You've done a good job at learning how to add seasoning to your food." His hand moved, giving the girl a small pat on the shoulder. "Perhaps I could buy you some of those tarts? You seemed quite interested in them when we were walking around last week."
"Why do all of you take me for some sort of glutton?" the girl questioned, shaking her head. She brought herself back up with a small stretch, her eyes rolling over. "As thankful as I am for the offer, I'm afraid I'll have to pass on it. I would rather you keep your money spent on yourself than my own appetite."
"Once again your words sound like they shouldn't be coming from your body," he shook his head. "And I'm afraid that making you feel better wasn't my only intention though I wouldn't mind if it only did that." Her e/c eyes glanced over to him curiously, her silence being used to indicate she was listening to him. "I was hoping we could talk about where you might be wanting to go to school once you graduate. As I'm sure you know, the school year is almost over and you'll have to begin considering where you'll be going."
A straight line. "Pray tell, why might you be interested in learning where I wish to go to school?"
"Just wondering," he defended with a tired smile, the female not believing him one ounce. "You seem to have quite the history with helping others out, I assumed that you might be interested in trying out for hero school."
Pardon?
She choked on her breath as soon as the words had left his mouth, waving her hand dismissively when he tried to help her. Her expression was stunned, mouth agape as her eyes widened. "I-I'm afraid you're mistaken," she stuttered out, silently cursing how small her voice had become. "I really have no interest in becoming a hero or frankly trying out for any sort of hero school." When the fuck had this ever been established? Sure, he had commended her for trying to do good but he had also advised her not to be so reckless in the future. It was quite clear he was worried the female would hurt herself if she continued down the path. No matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn't find any semblance of her even hinting at the idea. If anything, she had been quite cutthroat about not wanting to be a vigilante when they spoke about it. It had been a more minor thing, seeing as not too many people seemed to know about the girl and the probability of it being forgotten later on since she wasn't well-known being high, but she had done her best to stay away from it. She couldn't risk running into another character because she had too much attention on herself so she had been staying out of trouble. So the fact he had come to the conclusion, the man who told a quirkless kid to be realistic?
The universe had to be fucking with her right now.
"You're interested in helping other people, are you not?" he shot back quickly in rebuttal. "I've noticed how hard you've been working to watch over Suzuki-san to make sure nobody else gives her trouble. You've clearly demonstrated you want to be a hero, I don't see why you feel a need to deny it."
"E-Even if I wanted to be a hero, that sort of thing just isn't possible!" She could feel the strain in her voice, taking a breath as soon as she had felt her voice raise an octave. Her eyes closed, a hand pinching the bridge of her nose. "Parading around as a vigilante because that is what the public wishes to call me and attempting to become a hero are two completely separate things. At least with a vigilante, there aren't any restrictions that keep me from becoming one. Becoming a hero is a much more complicated thing than getting the public to call you by one name. For starters, do you understand how difficult it is for a person to get into a hero school, let alone quirkless? And even if I were to get in, there's hardly a chance I'd be able to stay in for very long considering I am at a disadvantage compared to other people. It wouldn't be realistic for me to go by my emotions alone." Her voice paused, her hand slowly sliding down. "The world was never a nice place. As much as it compliments me that you would think such a thing might suit me, and really it does, it wouldn't be reasonable to try."
The world was a cruel place, she had come to learn that truth early. If her death had meant anything, it meant that she had been no different from everyone else. All her life, she had held on so foolishly to the belief that maybe, maybe she could make a difference. That maybe she could become someone, somebody in a world of millions upon millions of people. But she hadn't. She had tried to play the hero and all it resulted in was her own death, another body for the count. Her death had meant little except maybe a good amount of trauma for the little boy and her mother. Who would have wanted to see a teenager throw their lives in danger only to die right after? Truly nobody in the entire world. No matter how hard she had tried, and really she had, her life had been insignificant in the end and she accepted that. Even now, she had accepted that this wasn't her life. No, it was somebody else's life she had so cruelly stolen. If she wanted to be a hero, she would find a way to give Masami back her body.
She stayed quiet, paying attention to her breathing and trying to ignore the pro hero as he sat beside her. She couldn't see his expression, whether that for better or for worse, her head hung low as she could feel sweat bead her head. Her body felt heavy in the moment, his presence baring down on her back. It made her gulp, her lips drying considerably now that she was concentrated on it. She hadn't meant to go off on a tangent, not really. But his personality had become far too confusing, how one man could want a person to be realistic about their expectations then immediately recommend a girl what was basically suicide. His character, she didn't know what to expect and god, how she hated it.
"Soma."
A hum, e/c eyes glancing through the hair that had fallen in front of her face. He had moved, placing himself in front of herself and she blinked patiently, holding back her tongue. Guilt ran through her as she watched the forming sincerity. "I'm not sure what you've been told," he began, the girl frowning. "But a quirk isn't what makes a hero. What makes a hero is what's inside of them. A quirk is preferable but what matters is your intentions." A comforting smile. "Even if it isn't the first thing on your list, I highly encourage you to not give up on your dreams young lady."
"...And if I fail?" She didn't know why she was asking that, her mouth seeming to have an idea of its own. As much as she loved the idea, heroes and saving people, she had long accepted that type of stuff as fantasy. Becoming a hero in the real world was often a result of luck, luck she would never be graced by. But seeing him standing right there, hearing someone believed in her even just for a moment made her feel slightly different. It wasn't the same feeling she felt whenever she earned the praise from a teacher or her mother's approval. No, it felt so different, so sincere.
"Then at least you know you tried."
She watched him move, retrieving something from his pocket- paper, he was pulling out a piece of paper. The girl watched dumbly as he placed it into her hands, the folded piece laying in a crumpled mess. "If you ever do change your mind, I'm always willing to help. Just take some time to consider it at least." She glanced down, hearing another chuckle come from him as her hand slowly clutched onto it like a child with a newfound toy.
"Mm, Yagi-san?"
"Yes?"
"Tarts sound really good right now."
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And thus, that was how Y/N had accidentally gained the number one hero's sympathy.
The girl groaned at the memory, rubbing her forehead as she closed the door to her apartment with the back of her foot. She should have been more composed about the situation but in the end, had spilled out her guts. As much as she would have loved to end her life right then and there, what was done had been done. At most, she would probably just have to count on seeing him more often from now on. She could deal with handling All Might for a bit more so long as it wasn't directly interfering with the plot.
She had been able to find more information about Masami since her second meeting with the man, eventually learning the girl was indeed quirkless. Apparently, Masami had set up an account on a website for similar people previously, leaving an id and password behind in her notes. It had been fairly normal when Y/N had gone to check through it, just a few chat logs being saved that talked about some heroes and a little more information being posted on the account's page. From what she had been given, Masami was definitely some sort of hero fanatic and had talked briefly about a few other things such as her day or a new game she had recently tried out. It wasn't anything very helpful, almost like a normal girl's diary without any of the dirty secrets, but at least she had some idea as to what she was dealing with now.
"It's too early for you to be making this much noise kid," the old lady grumbled as she left the last step. She sighed, noticing the younger girl had puffed out her cheeks in response to her complaints. "Really, don't you know any common decency? There are more people living here than just you."
"Apologies, my narcissism doesn't extend that far."
"Brat."
The h/c haired girl gave a cheeky smile as the lady shook her head, moving a hand to ruffle the teenager's hair. "Don't stay out too late today. Things have been rather chaotic this afternoon and I would rather not have to track you down later."
"I can't keep any promises that something won't happen but I will do my best to avoid any complications," the girl reassured, the woman taking it as a good enough response. "Whatever was so chaotic that it caught your attention if you don't mind me asking. You usually don't go out of your way to warn me about things going on."
"I'm warning you because of your stupid vigilante stunt." The younger girl flinched at the name which went unnoticeable by the woman. "But if you must know, there's been a villain chase going on in the city. He's been giving the heroes a hard time because of his quirk."
"Oh? Now that does sound quite interesting." The female felt her eyes narrow, her mind reeling at the mention of a villain chase. "Did they mention anything else?"
"How would I know? So long as it isn't nearby, it doesn't concern me," the woman waved off. "If you're so interested, look it up yourself. I have things I need to do rather than telling some junior high student about a villain chase."
"You wound me."
"Stay wounded."
The short woman was already walking off, heading back to the confines of the apartment complex and leaving the younger girl to her own mind. She frowned, rubbing the back of her neck begrudgingly, before turning on her heel and starting her walk. If the woman had been worried enough to mention it to her, then she would have to be a bit careful when she visited the area. As much as she could have chosen to stay home, she had only gotten used to the area around the apartment. She needed to start traveling around more if she were to ever start getting familiar with this new place, meaning she would have to inevitably take trips into the city as well. It was a tiring process, having to force herself to remember how to move around, but it would benefit her in the long run if she didn't have her phone around. She couldn't just rely on the internet to save her ass every five seconds.
She hopped down a step, watching her surroundings as she ran across a crosswalk. She landed herself behind a few people. She followed behind softly, her eyes glancing down for a second as she let her fingers rummage around her pocket. She eventually found what she was looking for, shoving the headphones in and allowing the chatter going on to become slightly muffled. Her feet moved briskly, making their way into the crowded city.
The apartment complex had been fairly close to the city parameters, only being a couple of minutes walk if she wasn't distracted. She had only been to a neighboring prefecture at this point, visiting a few of the shops. Suzuki's store had been in another part of the area entirely, the female having to take the train to get there. It was a lot more run down compared to where she had been living and most of the people living there had been rather sketchy in her opinion (She would have to pay Suzuki another visit soon, it had almost been two weeks since she had last stopped by).
"Ah...that reminds me..." She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, forgetting to remove it when she had returned home that night. It was luckily still in her jacket, the small. crumpled slip of paper she now lazily hung from her fingers. A small hum as she looked at it, eyes glancing over the writing as if it was alien. "He did give me his phone number, didn't he?"
She hadn't truly considered adding his number to her contacts, especially if what he had been insinuating was true. She was still a mess about the hero stuff, especially considering she was supposed to be living a normal life. If his status had meant anything, it probably meant that he wanted her to go to U.A given that was where he was going to be working this year. It would be strange of him not to recommend it, but considering the low acceptance rate, she would consider it equally as strange for him to do so meaning no real answer was right. But she couldn't just ignore him, could she? They've been talking for this long so of course, she needed to give him some sort of answer eventually. But considering she had barely been here for a year, what real excuse could she give him? She had no real goals in mind other than finding a way back home and reversing this jack shit excuse of a fanfiction if she's ever heard of one-
She drooped, her feet stopping in their tracks as a shadow overcast her face.
She really needed to stop overthinking things. To think she would be considering messing around because of one conversation with the hero that screamed American propaganda. What she needed to do was focus on her predicament and finding a way to solve it while getting accustomed to this world. Although her response might not be satisfactory, there was no way he would push her if she just told him to drop the subject. She just had to give it to him straight that she had no want of becoming a hero or trying out for a hero school.
If only she could focus on where she was going.
Her eyes glanced up, a pink sign coming into her view. She furrowed her brows, mouthing it to herself slowly.
"Tatooin Shopping District?" she muttered before furrowing her brows, her arms crossing over one another. She thought for a moment, the familiarity stinging the tip of her tongue as she ran the name over and over in her head before she could remember why it stuck out. It caused a frown to appear, her shoulders tensing slightly as she stared intently down the shopping district.
Theoretically, she had been expecting this. It would be a dead man's task to avoid every single major thing she remembered from the original storyline as she had come to learn. At the very least, she could lessen the amount of influence she had by keeping to herself and making sure to keep up with the original timeline. But given the fact she had been thrown in before the beginning of the story, she had no real indication as to when exactly any of these things would be happening. Most of the news reports she had been reading up on hadn't mentioned anything about All Might stopping any sort of sludge villain, meaning she was still probably before that event. But just how far was probably was another question. She would have to wait until U.A started its first day before she would really know when to properly start avoiding things and even then, so long as she kept enough distance from the hero school. Her little arrangements with All Might might have put her in the sights of one of the main characters but considering the fact she was one girl, she doubted it would account for anything later other than an occasional conversation.
She turned on her feet and began walking, rubbing at her temple as she did and making sure to avoid a couple as they walked past. For now, she would steer clear of the small district and find something else to do with her free time. She was sure she could at least manage a few more minutes of studying layout before she would have to head home and seeing as there were a few food stands, it wouldn't hurt to come back once she knew the danger had passed. She hummed, her thoughts drifting slightly. Perhaps she should consider eating out tonight. She could probably get something for the landlady as well while she was at it. What did the woman like again-
She jerked back as someone came past, a small hiss in complaint escaping from her lips as her body hit a wall slightly. "Asshole," she muttered in an annoyed tone, shaking her head.
She rubbed her arm, a small stream of curses coming forth as she heard the sound of multiple footsteps receding. She had turned her head, trying to see who exactly had run into her, but they were gone by now. A glare, followed by a tired sigh. To think she would bump into another person of all things. She truly needed to pay more attention to where she was going. She was becoming a traffic hazard by this point.
"U-Um! I'm really sorry about that! A-Are you alright?"
She turned her head back, eyes momentarily stunned at the bowed boy now standing behind her. It made her body freeze on the spot, her face slightly becoming unhinged at the sight of green curly locks slowly turning upwards to reveal bright green eyes. Her hands were paused in an awkward position, body seemingly stuck in time as everything else moved forth. Her breath momentarily left her, leaving nothing in her throat nor her head that was muffled by shock.
Right in front of her very eyes, stood Midoriya Izuku.
"Miss?" His face morphed into a panic, appearing to take her silence as a sign she wasn't fine. Right, people couldn't hear internal thoughts, could they? She gave a small cough behind a clenched fist, composing herself as her back straightened. A small smile adorned her face, the smallest of laughs leaving from closed eyes. She pushed down the sense of dread that seemed to want to rise, her earlier meal leaving her stomach entirely by this point.
"My apologies," she started, "I wasn't aware someone was behind me."
"O-Oh, I see," he began. His shoulders seemed to relax a bit, the quiver of his lips being more present. His eyes had widened a bit, seemingly not expecting her response, before he muffled it back down. He fidgeted around with the yellow bag. "I-I'm sorry for suddenly coming up to you like that...I should have said something sooner than just standing there..." His voice was apologetic, causing the female to frown as she waved her hands around. Damn did this boy know how to play around someone's heart.
"P-Please don't apologize.! You just caught me off guard for a moment. Although..." She trailed off, her eyes squinting while her head cocked to the side. "I have to wonder why ever you would be apologizing." Her head tilted, watching as he grew panicked again. It made her brows furrow, wondering what could have possibly caused such a reaction from him. She was sure she hadn't ever seen him before this moment, let alone before this entire exchange. The fact he was apologizing and so profusely, she must have done something to warrant his attention (one that she would very much appreciate would go away in the next few seconds).
"F-For my- the guy who hit you earlier. We're uh...friends, yeah," he explained, managing to get his words out somehow. "I-I've known him since we were little so I just thought..." She had stopped hearing him by now, the realization hitting her with full force and causing her arm to twitch in disbelief.
She had run into Bakugo fucking Katsuki.
Someone, please get her out of this goddamn circus.
"-ss? Miss?"
E/c eyes blinked as she came back once again, the boy now growing more concerned by the moment. His hands seemed to want to move, hovering away from her and being lifted and dropped multiple times. He was frowning, brows curving upside down. "M-Maybe we should get you inside? U-Um, is your arm hurting or something?" Before he could continue questioning her, looking ready to drag her into a corner store by the way his head was turning back in its direction, she had stepped back and raised her hands in defense. Another laugh left, much more shaky this time around.
"I-I'm perfectly fine!" she stuttered out, a cry leaving her internally. "I-I'm just surprised you would be apologizing for something you didn't do! It's a bit strange to hear!"
He faltered, his hands falling down. "Y-You think it's weird?"
"I just mean that people wouldn't normally do that sort of thing! Usually, you would expect the person who committed the offense to be the one apologizing, not the bystander!" Her words were hastily added, the cry from earlier booming in her head. "You must excuse me if my words sounded rude. I mean no offense when I say I was simply surprised." After a few more laughs that were all equally and entirely forced, he had calmed down a bit, allowing her to continue speaking without worrying. "If you don't mind, why ever were you following someone like him?"
"I-It wasn't really following," he looked to the side, rubbing his arm. "I usually go this way to get back home. He lives around the area so we usually end up walking the same route." Another frown, rubbing his arm again.
"I see." Her reply was curt, the tinge of unsureness lining it as she looked at him. Silence passed over the two teenagers for a few seconds, the only one seemingly uncomfortable by it being Midoriya as his eyes began wandering around anywhere but on her. She eventually released a sigh, her shoulder drooping down a bit with a frown and causing the boy to stop. "I appreciate the apology although it was heavily unneeded. Is that satisfying enough?"
"H-Huh?"
"You wanted me to accept your apology, correct? That's the whole reason you came up to me in the first place. Well, here you go."
"T-That-!" His eyes widened a bit, appearing to actually be considering what she had said for some unknown reason. "It really doesn't sound like you mean it though..."
"I'm afraid you'll have to take it or we'll be stuck here for the next hour," she explained curtly and causing him to jump a bit. "Just think nothing of it. I really could care less if someone were to hit me on the street."
"You uh, called him an asshole."
"You're hearing things."
Not taking her time to wait for the baffled boy's next words, she had already turned on her heel, h/c hair whipping behind her violently with the motion. She needed to end this conversation before it got any longer. Meeting All Might was one thing, a bad thing but she could handle it. At least since they only met occasionally, she had time to prepare herself beforehand. Meeting Midoriya was another thing, something she wasn't about to indulge in. She wasn't prepared to handle another main character this soon, especially considering she was supposed to be avoiding the main plot and these guys. Like seriously, how coincidental was it that Midoriya just happened to be walking around this area at the same exact time as her? Not very fucking likely. Even though their conversation was truthfully awkward, who knows what it could lead to considering this universe didn't seem to want to give her a damn rest. She needed to leave right that instant before he asked anything else-
Her eyes widened as a small yelp left her, her body jerking back as a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. She felt herself tripping over her feet and sending her flying backward, straight into a startled green-haired boy. Her body roughly slammed against his chest, sending the two down onto the concrete. "You-" she hissed out, struggling to get herself into a sitting position. She eventually succeeded, pushing herself off from the boy and onto the concrete. Her brows furrowed, eyes narrowing in his direction as he rubbed the back of his head. "What the hell is your problem?"
"S-S-Sorry!" His voice was frantic, a squeak behind it. He was avoiding her gaze, eyes boring into the ground shamefully. "I-It's just that um..."
"Just what?" she probed, her earlier patience gone by now.
"Your eyes," he quickly explained. "I know that look and I couldn't let you walk off..." Her face dropped, the accusatory aura dissipating slowly. "Even though you said it didn't affect you, you were just trying to make me feel better, right? Y-You really don't have to do that...I just wanted to apologize because I knew that he wouldn't and it would be rude to just leave you there. We um, don't get along all the time but I've known him since we little so I still worry about him a bit." Whatever worry he had before had been replaced by momentary resignation, a small smile on his face. But as soon as he had finished, the expression had disappeared just as quickly as it had come in the first place. "O-Or I could be wrong of course! Y-You could probably be fine and I'm probably just seeing things! Uh, I'm really sorry for taking up more of your time...If I hadn't pulled you back you wouldn't have tripped and-"
"You're kind of creepy," she stated, his voice dying out as his face became pale. She sighed as he sat there stunned, looking ready to apologize once again, before pushing herself up. She dusted herself off, making sure her clothes weren't wrinkled too badly, before extending a hand out towards him. He looked at it with confusion before hesitantly taking her hand. The girl yanked him up, making sure to keep her hand nearby in order to steady him once he was standing. Her eyes wandered behind him, a certain yellow backpack laying sprawled out. "Is this all stuff for school?"
"Huh?" He released the noise dumbly before his eyes noticed what she was looking at. His cheeks immediately turned a shade of red. "O-Oh, yes! I-I guess I didn't notice it when we fell over..."
She nodded her head attentively, letting herself crouch again. A cry of protest came from behind as she picked up a certain item, her fingers slowly tracing down the cover. Her eyes scanned the flimsy cover that had been charged by now, the page having turned into a yellowish color by now. He stood for a few seconds, unsure of what to do before also crouching down, picking up the other items that had rolled away silently. "It's wet," she noted, her brows furrowing in wonder. He took it from her hands, a small nod being returned.
"I dropped it into a pond earlier at school," he said in a melancholic tone. "I tried to dry it out but some of the pages were completely soaked."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that-"
She paused, her head reeling at what he had just admitted. Her eyes narrowed once more, brows furrowing intensely as she repeated the phrase silently over in her head. "When exactly did you drop the notebook?"
"Um, this afternoon after school had ended." He frowned. "I-Is something wrong with it?"
"N-Not at all. I hope you were able to keep the contents intact," she managed, barely able to hide the way her body had paled at the realization or the raise in her voice. She took a breath, allowing herself to close her eyes as she ran a hand through her hair. Her body was heaving slightly, legs shakily attempting to remain crouched in the same position and keep the rest of her from toppling over onto the ground. Surely, or at least she had hoped, the plot would have remained unchanged. She had barely done anything truly extraordinary to warrant any form of notice anyhow.
Apparently, the plot decided to go apeshit anyway.
But for some unforeseen reason, Midoriya had not taken the sewers back home. Even worse than that, he had decided to take his normal route home which just so happened was the same route Bakugo would take (which wasn't really that important but considering Bakugo was the one who got caught by the guy and had literally told the poor boy to go die some time ago according to Midoriy's account maybe it was). And now, there was possibly a sludge villain already captured and no chance for Midoriya to prove himself to All Might. Without the sludge villain attacking Bakugo, Midoriya wouldn't get a quirk, wouldn't be able to go to U.A, wouldn't become a number one hero, and oh god her life was flashing right before her eyes. If she wasn't having a headache from meeting the green-haired boy, she was certainly having one now.
"Excuse me for a moment," she muttered standing up. She hastily shoved a hand into her pocket, managing to find it after scourging for a few seconds. She tapped around for a moment, a few words leaving her mouth before she could find something relating to All Might. A news article from about an hour ago by the looks of things, claiming the hero was still thankfully chasing around some villain in the area. If she was lucky, it would be the sludge villain who still hadn't been caught and she might be able to find him if she was fast enough. It was a long shot and she would have to apologize to the boy for throwing him into this later, but maybe she could still fix this. No, she needed to fix this. Midoriya was getting One For All one way or another and she was going to fix this situation before this world decided to fuck up anything else. She hissed, closing her eyes tightly as her body slowly turned around. A forced smile appeared, the strain causing her eye to twitch. "How much do you want me to accept that apology of yours."
He froze, eyes widening again. "A-A lot," he replied after a moment, surprised.
"Good. You're helping me find someone."
"W-What- Ah, hold on!"
Her pace was quick as she strolled down the sidewalk, the boy eagerly trailing behind. Her mind wandered back to the piece of paper for a moment, eyes shifting down to her pocket to see if just barely poking out, before shaking the thought away. If all things failed, she had a backup ready to go. She didn't pride herself on being much an actress but she was sure the man would come to her help if she were to call about a villain. He was the number one hero after all. So long as she made it convincing enough, he would arrive in the area regardless if he had been there beforehand or not.
"If you don't mind me asking-" Midoriya cut in, rushing to meet her pace, "-w-who are we looking for?" She continued to keep her eyes trained forward.
"A villain," she stated before waving her hand. "Before you say anything, I'm not trying to do anything dangerous or something along those lines. All Might has apparently been running around the city chasing a villain and I was interested in seeing the guy in person." She slightly cringed at her choice of words, grateful it didn't seem to affect Midoriya any less. His eyes were practically sparkling as he now was eagerly fidgeting around.
"Are you a fan too?" She averted his gaze, not wanting to deal with his sudden enthusiasm for the topic.
"If you can call me that. I generally try my best to keep myself up to date with the things going on around me so hero fights have become a bit of a formality at this point. I wouldn't say I'm too big on the subject nor am I the most informed, but I enjoy seeing the different types of battles."
"The battles?"
"Seeing quirks being used." She decided on, her hands connecting in front of her as they crossed an intersection. "Usually, you would gain experience by studying things over a certain amount of time, correct? Think of it as something similar along those lines."
"Oh, I get what you mean now!" A smile had begun forming on his face as he nodded. "Watching quirks being used in person is different from watching it online. Although you can see how they still work online, there's definitely something different when watching in person since it gives you the ability to see it in action. Sometimes it's hard to see how they work if the person recording it doesn't have a good angle and you also need to consider-"
"You're quite knowledgeable on these types of things, aren't you?" She gave a closed-eye smile as his cheeks brimmed a dark red shade, his hands waving around in from of him as he looked at her. "Please don't be ashamed of having a hobby. I'm quite sure you are not the only one with an interest in quirks, to begin with. After all, it would be difficult for people to learn things if someone wasn't interested in the subject. It's what helps people adapt to new things. You're perfectly fine having an interest in quirks. Having knowledge can give you the upper hand when you don't possess the physical means of achieving a goal."
"Y-You think so?" He looked down, his face giving way to a much smaller smile. His hands clutched onto his bag tightly. "Usually people don't like it when I ramble about that sort of stuff. They think it's annoying...I can't really help it either. Whenever I get into something I just end up blurting whatever is on my mind."
"Is that so?" She hummed. "I don't think it's that strange?" He waited for her to continue, the female giving a small sigh. "Sometimes people have an easier time processing information by saying it out loud rather than keeping it themselves. It's not that uncommon for people to ramble about subjects. I'll admit it is a bit creepy to see someone muttering to themselves but I don't believe it's annoying of any sorts. If it bothers you so much, perhaps you simply need to find another outlet? Redirecting your rambles onto something else might help."
"It's kind of like people doing other things in order to calm themselves down..." he softly said before nodding his head. "That wouldn't be a bad idea but uh, I don't think it would be very much help. T-Thank you for the suggestion though, even though we don't really know each other. You've been listening to my problems this entire time when I'm supposed to be the one helping you..." A gentle laugh. "I-I'm glad you don't find me annoying or anything even though I've been talking this entire time. Usually, it would throw people off. That and uh...most people treat me differently from others because I'm quirkless..." He frowned, pausing as his eyes shifted towards her again in anticipation. She looked back, a neutral expression.
"That must be difficult." Her hand pulled up her phone again, making sure she was still heading in the right direction of what she could see from the article. "You must be tough for being able to handle that sort of stuff. I could hardly stand even a moment of it."
"T-T-Tough?" he squeaked out, his cheeks blooming once more. "I-I'm not that strong! I've uh, just learned how to get used to it over time! That really isn't any brave or strong..." He fumbled around, his hands shaking slightly as his head slowly lowered down. "U-Um, you mentioned you couldn't handle that type of thing."
A noise in agreement. "I'm also quirkless."
In other news, a totally unrelated green-haired boy who is not named Midoriya Izuku why would you ever think that has stopped working.
"Now come on, I still want to find out where this villain is before the day is over."
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"We couldn't find him..."
The h/c girl sat dejectedly on the bench, her head held in her hands, as Midoriya gave a reassuring smile from the side.
"I'm sorry...It was because I kept asking you all those questions that we got held back..."
"No, it was because of my own inexperience we were unable to find him. If only I had been more resourceful we might have been able to figure out where the villain was going."
"I-It wasn't your fault! You did everything you could! Besides, you can always try next time?"
Would there ever even be a next time?
After getting Midoriya to agree to come along with her, the two had spent the next few hours searching every part of the small area in hopes of finding the symbol of peace. They had looked through every place they could think of, the female frequently checking to see if anything new had been released during their search. But as it had turned out, her nonexistent luck had struck once more, resulting in the two sitting in an open park in the evening with nothing to show for their efforts. She commended him for sticking with her the entire time, the boy even texting his mother to tell her he would be coming back home later than usual. How far he would go to help someone because of some bullshit apology was beyond her comprehension.
"Perhaps we should head back for the night. I've kept you out for far too long and I'm positive your mother must be worried sick by now." She raised her head slowly, bags sitting under her eyes as she gave a comforting smile. "Thank you for accompanying me this entire time. Even though we never gave our names to one another you still decided to keep with me on this wild goose chase."
"I completely forgot about that!" He gave a smile, the female cocking her head slightly to the side. "I'm Midoriya Izuku!"
"Soma Masami."
"A-Ah, it's very nice to meet you Soma-san!"
"It's a bit too late for that, don't you think?" She laughed gently, a hand hiding her mouth in order to hide it. "It's very nice to make you acquaintance Midoriya-san."
"Still..." he began once more, his expressing falling. "I'm still sorry we couldn't find All Might. You were so motivated."
"Well, as you said before, there's always next time. While we were unable to catch him in action, I still had quite the pleasant experience." A tap of her finger against her hand, looking to the side. "To be honest with you, this is the first time in a while I've spoken with someone around my age. I don't really tend to go outside for things unless it's absolutely necessary so it was...nice being around someone else for a chance. You really do have my thanks for spending the day with me."
"Of course!" he exclaimed. "I had a lot of fun too." His eyes lit up for a moment, his hand going to dig through his pocket before he found what he was looking for. A cellphone sat in his palm, the boy seeming a bit nervous as he spoke. "U-Um, if you don't mind...Do you think we could do this again? I'd be more than happy to help you look around for hero fights whenever you have the time and uh, I could always lend an ear too. I-I think it would be good to have someone else to talk to if you don't spend much time around other people..."
She froze, her eyes glancing down to her hand where her own sat. "U-Um, it's fine if you don't want to! I-I just thought you might like doing this again some time since you said you had fun and I also had fun but if you don't want to that's perfectly fine as well! But I think that it would be nice if we could just at least exchange numbers since you might have another problem in the future and I could always come over and offer my help-"
"Sure."
"And if- Eh?"
Her body shifted, holding her phone out forward. E/c eyes refused to meet his, her leg tapping against the ground uncomfortably. "Take it before I change my mind."
"R-Right!"
He clumsily took it out of her hand, the female holding back a breath as he quickly typed in his information. Her foot continued tapping against the ground as he handed it back, her hand gripping it as if it were her only lifeline. "Are you alright? You look kind of sick right now."
"J-Just feeling a little lightheaded, apologies," she mumbled out, placing the phone back into her pocket. The crumble of paper was heard beneath it. She stood up, holding a hand to her head and giving a simple smile. "I'll send you a text later so you know my number."
There was no reason for her to give him her number. If anything, she was fairly convinced he wouldn't have pestered her about it if she had just rejected the notion altogether. But for some reason, she felt bad for the boy and his ruined chances of becoming a hero. His only moment of finally achieving what he had always wanted now gone, the only piece of mercy being his ignorance of what might have been. She could keep looking for All Might but she doubted he would ever be able to gain another chance like that one. His chances had been stolen away and the girl couldn't help but pity him for it. He would never know and never receive the affirmation he needed. In a way, she couldn't help but want to do something for him. She really shouldn't be doing so but seeing as everything was in shambles, she at least hoped the number would give him some comfort in life.
"Let's get-"
The sound of a manhole cluttering barely came through.
"W-What was that?" The green-haired boy, apparently having hard the faint sound as well, had turned his head towards the street, his eyes widening once more. The girl felt her hand tighten, a shaky breath of relief being held down. She shoved her hand down in her pocket briskly, a hand clutching in front of herself as a smile slowly formed unknown to the boy.
"I think we just found our guy."
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A/N;
you ever write a chapter too long that it has to be split into two chapters?
hi again lmao
midoriya finally makes his appearance but what's this, the butterfly effect exists owo? too fucking bad for you y/n you're getting the harem whether you want it or not and midoriya is always gonna be your first man
lots of changes from the original plotline i had lmao generally, i forced y/n into ua as a gag so this time around, she'll have more of a reason for going. she's a lot more erm, bad with emotions than the original y/n? they're both the same person but i felt like y/n wasn't effected by her death enough nor the fact it was kind of implied she didn't have much of a good family either. she's also a rude bitch too now w o a h
y/n resorting to rationalization whenever she gets thrown into something important please see a therapist girl. did she maybe have ptsd in the last book about dying? quite possibly and hello we're going tenfold with every emotion this time around. she also still be sounding like some middle age woman rather than how old she is (y/n you're 14 stop using big words please)
for anyone wonder, y/n is sort of around 18 since that's the easiest age for me to write right now (not because im a late teen hahahahahahahha-) whenever i write her, i tend to keep it pretty sarcastic because cynical protagonist for the win at this point. there's not really many fanfics where the main character doesn't want to be a main character and come on, it's like the biggest gag to use appreciation for poor characters who go through this. i feel like if i had knowledge about a previous life, i would never use it personally? just knowing i could change everything at the drop of a hat would scare the shit out of me so i would just be a coward lmao at least in this case, y/n just feels bad for stealing someone else's life
hoep you enjoy the rewrite! sorry it's taking so long to reach the main plot, we'll be there soon i promise!