Edited 5/15/23
Midoriya's fight against a boy named Shinso was first. You didn't know what to expect but you were fully prepared to cheer for your friend and new ally, Midoriya. Still reeling from the information All Might and Midoriya shared with you, the lingering turning in your stomach was easy to hide with the pending fight ahead of you. You were starting to think that the people here at UA were underestimating who you were...because they clearly weren't as concerned about the situation as you were.
Midoriya would be here, practically on display for the entire world to witness his quirk with no distractions. Would he act similar enough to All Might that it would make it clear he was the successor? Would an eagle-eyed viewer notice their close mentorship?
Would the villains recognize your own quirk in action? What if something happened in the arena right now? More attentive than usual, you settled on keeping your mind on protecting the class over your own performance in the event. All Might may have been weaker, but he wasn't retired yet.
Midoriya took a deep breath in and out before entering the stage where he would be battling. Katsuki sat next to you with a disinterested expression on his face, but you knew that deep down he wanted Midoriya to win against this 'unknown' student. Midoriya stood on the stage, legs nearly frozen as his wide emerald eyes scanned the colorful rainbow array of the audience.
The roar of the audience was nothing against the silent shock you felt when you saw the lavender-haired boy from earlier standing on the opposite side of the stage from Deku.
"That's Shinso?!" You exclaimed loudly. Katsuki glanced over at you, red eyes connecting with yours.
"Why does it matter?" He asked in a bored tone. Your expression, however, seemed to shake that careless demeanor away to something of a more concerned variety.
"That dickhead was talking mad shit to me earlier. Deku had to talk me down." Katsuki smirked and snorted.
"That little shit always ruins everything. I'd like to see you ripping that troll doll's head off." Your expression shifted to one of mischief, a smirk of your own growing across your lips.
"You would have if you weren't ignoring me when building your team." Katsuki's eyebrows narrowed as he threw his head back in a groan. You felt a bit of a tingle watching it, your mind going elsewhere.
"How many fucking times do I have to apologize for that bullshit?!" You extended your hand to him as his own was resting on the stadium seat armrest. Your hand gently layered over his, the blond instantly calming as his eyes shot to you.
"I just like teasing you sometimes Kacchan~..." You placed emphasis on the nickname as you spoke his name softly in a high pitch. The silent response that you received from that was one you weren't expecting. Katsuki turned his calloused hand upwards, curling his fingers with yours. Neither of you said a word or looked at each other, but the heat that lingered on both of your faces did all of the talking.
~~
Katsuki refused to ever let go of your hand.
Match after match went by, giving you an opportunity to rest a bit but also study the other classes and their members. Midoriya barely won his match, Kaminari completely lost his, and Todoroki won his. Watching your classmates duel was fun, but the anxiousness of what the best next move to make was getting to you as your match drew closer.
With your battle against Iida, you had to think critically regarding how to beat him without exhausting yourself or your quirk too much. He had incredible speed and that mega burst of energy that would be difficult to counter with the timing of your quirk. Iida could keep coming at you and you could dodge with your ghost quirk, but your teleportation quirk would be completely neutralized by his speed. This was a test of stamina and despite your experience, a certain level of natural talent could rival you. You have seen Iida in action and his ability was nothing to scoff at, especially when his speed and physical strength out-performed your own in this case.
"Kick his ass." You heard Katsuki say from next to you, his thumb rubbing light circles on your hand. You looked up to see your name and picture on the jumbotron, Iida's next to yours. You sighed before grinning at Katsuki, moving your hand away from his warmth reluctantly.
"To the finals," you both grinned brightly at one another, but the sun reflecting a glow in those scarlet eyes left your chest feeling airy. You quickly made your way down the stairs that led to the locker rooms, taking the time to shake off your anxious excitement, then proceeded through the back doors to head towards the center stage. The audience roared with excitement as you walked towards the patient Midnight and Iida, the infamous brother of one of the fastest heroes, Ingenium. You had your work cut out for you. Midnight acknowledged you with a subtle nod, soon asking you and Iida if you were ready. Her feminine voice was nearly wiped out from the deafening sound of cheering from the audience.
For some reason, this didn't feel anything like when you did your mercenary work. You felt your sweat turn to ice, your heart racing, your fingers twitching...the sensation reminded you of every single time a cat was backed into the corner with every hair on its back raised. It wasn't like the earlier stages where there were plenty of students to watch and you could blend in the background. You didn't have a choice but become the center of attention now.
You glanced at the doorway towards the locker rooms to see a tall man with shining gold hair, a pearly white grin, and a big thumbs up aimed directly at you.
Despite all of the noise and the endless chants surrounding you, for just a moment, you were just a little girl that needed reassurance everything was going to be okay. The sigh that escaped your lips alleviated a long forgotten weight that had lingered undisturbed for nearly a decade. It was the first time you truly understood why he smiled so much.
"BEGIN!" Midnight's arm and hand came down like a bar between you and Iida, signaling the start of the challenge. Survival instincts kicked in with a standard of professional coldness that observant viewers were startled by. You instantly had to shuffle away from Iida as he attempted to rush you to put you out of bounds. You jumped away, constantly light on your feet as you hopped from one spot to another, dodging him without using your quirk yet. His glasses reflected white in the light, giving away his position even though he was just a blur in your eyes. You had no time to activate either ghost or teleportation since the boy never gave you the chance.
What were you going to do? Tire him out?
You stood in the center of the stage as Iida seemingly came from all sides. You've been dodging him with your natural reflexes for several minutes, and he knew that he couldn't use his ultimate move because it took too long to charge. You observed how he ran, looking directly at you, and never what's above or below him.
Perhaps I can teleport after all.
Before Iida could turn back after missing the hit, you teleported high enough in the stadium to avoid anyone realizing where you were. The moment you hovered in the air, you felt completely at peace. It was quiet...the wind was cold...but the sun above you felt so warm.
You began to fall with Iida thinking he clipped you and sent you over the edge of the platform, once peaceful breeze morphing into sharp whips near your ears.
He paused a hair too long in one spot near the edge of the arena, only for you to teleport behind him and use the velocity of the prior free fall to kick him off of the platform.
The moment the shock of the kick entered your leg, a sharp pinch in your ankle had you gritting your teeth. Iida's face and chest skid across the grass surrounding the arena with his feet curled in a full scorpion over his head. The silent gasp in the audience was just before a raging cheer of praise, your image plastered across the TV for all to see.
"Tenya Iida is disqualified! (Y/N) (L/N) is the winner!" The crowd was cheering for you, screaming your name in excitement that you defeated Iida, but you really had a difficult time putting your foot fully down on the ground. Each step had you limp and you tried exceedingly hard to not make your pain visible.
"Miss (y/n)...are you alright?" Midnight asked you away from the live mic. You wanted to nod but the uncomfortable sharp pains in your ankle made it challenging to walk. Normally you wore appropriate gear if you were planning on vanishing into the sky and free falling into the attack, but during the festival, you had nothing but generic uniforms and gym shoes.
You cursed yourself for getting such an annoying injury while on the job.
"I need a bit of help...what about Iida?" You asked with concern. The worry did not linger long due to the small group of medical assistants helping him wipe the smeared grass off his body.
"He's fine," she smiled reassuringly. "Let's worry about you, hm?" With a quick hand signal, an athletic trainer came to the stage to help you walk towards the stairs and back into the locker room. Ironically enough, you felt a strange pang of relief thanks to the new 'out' you had to lose the tournament. You made it past the first few rounds, that had to be enough to satiate the viewers and the teachers. Especially Aizawa who insisted that he would only support your mission if you would abide by the same 'heroic expectations'.
You could complain about a terrible pain, and enjoy the rest of the tournament as a viewer. It was exactly what you wanted. Katsuki and All Might wouldn't be too upset since you got so far, right?
The polite athletic trainer led you towards a nurses' bed in the medical room. Hopefully you wouldn't have to wait too long, but you had to admit the privacy was a welcome reprieve from the cameras. After being given water and a cold compress while you waited, you closed your eyes to relax. You weren't alone for that long.
"Well this is fucking lame. What did you do?" Katsuki's gruff voiced called out for you in the doorway. With a sigh, you peeked an eye open only to see him cross his arms as if he were scolding you.
"I dunno yet. I'd guess it's a sprain. It will be tough for me to run around or fight," you explained, pressing the compress down once again. The pressure sent a strong enough stab of pain up your shin just enough for you to visibly wince.
Katsuki was a terrible liar and his façade of being annoyed about your injury had descended into concern.
"You okay?"
The gentleness in his voice sent a powerful shudder in your chest, a nearly audible gasp building up in your throat.
"Yeah..." your voice barely carried out. Katsuki maintained eye contact with you as he slowly approached you, only looking away to glance at your now swollen ankle. He lifted the cold compressed equally as gently, getting a solid look.
"I hope it isn't broken..." His brows knit in concern and the shadows of his eyelashes draped over his cheek. He truly had a pretty face.
"I-I'm sure I'll be fine," you reassured him for some reason. You figured he should be the one comforting you but the thought of him worried about you was upsetting.
"Tsk, says the idiot who got hurt in the first place." He lightly poked your forehead then gave your chin an even gentler tug. The baseline of your pounding heartbeat echoed loudly in your ears. "Don't be that stupid anymore..."
I can't breathe.
"Mr. Bakugo! They are calling your name out there aren't they? You should get movin' young man!" An aged voice called out from the doorway, Recovery Girl now on the scene to treat you. The two of you looked away from each other as if somehow in trouble, Katsuki's face completely burning red.
"Yeah! Yeah! Just do your job, lady!" He huffed while turning away, walking towards the exit with his back facing you. He glanced at you just as he crossed the threshold, not feeling right with leaving until he knew you would be okay.
The sweet smile you presented him with was a welcome token of affection before he left for battle.
~~
Recovery Girl did not mince words with you regarding your 'carelessness', but she didn't linger on it for too long.
"It's a sprain. You should be up and on your feet again by the next round, but I would advise trying to avoid hitting with it or running on it too much."
Well, it looks like the dropping out plan wouldn't work.
"I see. Thank you for your help." She topped off her treatment with a strange forehead kiss, but your ankle immediately began to feel better, the pain cooling into a mild sting into a dull ache. in exchange, you felt terribly exhausted.
"No worries dearie. Go watch your boyfriend and relax. My job for the day is done. If you get any more injured, I'm going to be the least of your worries!" The woman left before you registered what she said.
"B-Boyfriend?!"
She completely ignored your surprise from the comment, but instead clicked on the TV that was in the station. Katsuki was preparing for his fight and the announcers reviewed the events that already happened. You couldn't tear your eyes off of him when they showed him stretch on TV.
Even though Recovery Girl's treatment left you feeling sleepy, you could just barely blink awake enough to watch his fight. It seemed like time took forever to pass...you were awaiting the announcement of who you were supposed to face next. The screen animation of the timer until the next round and the participants appeared on the screen for you to witness.
(Y/n) (L/n) vs Ibara Shiozaki
The green haired girl that beat Kaminari? Christ, Katsuki wouldn't ever believe it would be possible for that girl to beat you. Yet another fight you couldn't 'lose'. The girl relied entirely on her quirk and stood still. You wouldn't have had a problem fighting her even if your ankle remained in agony like earlier.
The next round was beginning soon and you were still stuck resting, waiting for your name to be called. Suddenly, a small figure entered the room, a cup of tea in hand.
"Ahh (Y/n)! I came to see how you were feeling. It seems as so you have gotten yourself in quite the situation there." Principal Nezu greeted with a smile, taking a seat in the office style chair to your left. It must have been for Recovery Girl's desk.
"I'm alright. Just resting until my next fight." Nezu smiled and nodded eagerly.
"Congratulations on the first round!" Nezu cheered before taking a sip of his tea. The small mouse-like creature stated his next sentence very quietly. "I look forward to watching your battle the next round." It took you a half second, but the grin of approval started to grow on your face.
"Thanks, Principal. I appreciate your support." Principal Nezu held the saucer for his tea in his left hand, the tea cup in the right, casually sipping away.
"I came here for another reason contrary to my previous statement. I need your opinion on something I have thought about greatly since the attack." You felt the lump in your gut grow larger, the weight of your mission coming back quickly.
"Yes?" Nezu looked at you with a serious gaze, almost threatening.
"I believe we have a traitor at UA...and worse...it is most likely one of our beloved staff or...dare I say...a student." You had the same conclusion...but the reminder that a student may be the possible suspect left you feeling somewhat irritated. These were sweet students with genuine dreams and they worked incredibly hard for a society that would abandon them without thought. You logically understood this was a potential loss during your mission, but still...
"Do we have any leads so far that I can work with?"
"Well...I have a few interesting documents that I have secured myself. I believe that they will help as long as you can put the pieces together for me. I have a lot to manage here...but if you're willing to allow me to have Eraserhead suspend your homework assignments, I would like for you to work on these documents in a secure location of my choosing. It is absolutely vital that only you see what I have written. I know for a fact you had nothing to do with the attack, along with All Might. But as for anyone else, I just cannot rule out even the most minute possibility of their betrayal." You felt the lump grow ten sizes at the question budding in your throat.
"Do you suspect Class 1A?" Nezu smiled as he finished his tea, his mouse-like appearance giving him a soft appearance despite his previous tense statement.
"Like I said, I have not ruled anything aside from you and All Might completely out." You were about to ask another question but immediately sensed a presence snooping somewhere behind Nezu, close to the wall and door. Faster than anyone could react, you reached for Nezu's saucer, snapped it in half, and threw it blindingly fast towards the noise. The saucer stuck to the wall with the speed and power of someone shooting for the kill.
Blood trickled down the broken saucer sticking out of the wall.
Blood that was not your own.
"It seems you were right Principal Nezu. I'll get on it right away." Nezu was shocked, not expecting the visitor nor your reflexes.
"My, my, my...no wonder you were so boldly recommended. I feel safe already. I'll take my leave now...good luck next round!" Principal Nezu took his cup and the half of the porcelain saucer that was left and headed towards the broken saucer on the wall. He clipped it off and took the bloodied side on his own.
"I will run this through a database to see if we can catch a DNA match. Amazing work (y/n)," he complimented once again.
Your mind was racing...your heart wouldn't stop beating...
...and all you could think about was protecting the scarlet eyed boy that you would soon to find has captured your heart.