"Izuku?"
The little hero had his back flat against the grass. He hadn't moved since your victory. At first, he was overjoyed, you all were, but then he suddenly just malfunctioned and collapsed.
Tokoyami's sharp eyes closed as he sighed, "When he comes to, let him know I expressed my gratitude. To you as well."
"Sure. Thanks, Tokoyami," you nodded. The next and final round was about to be announced, and you knew Izuku would want to be awake for it. Well, he was sort of awake. He was just gazing at the sky like a vegetable.
"Izuku..." you crouched down and hugged your knees, "Deku?" You poked his stomach a few times. "HEY!"
"WHAT!" he flipped like a fish out of water, "Oh, h-hi! Uh, s-so we won, r-right? That's pretty neat! Haha! Ah..."
You frowned, "Izuku. Did I freak you out..?"
"What? I mean, sort of... but I'm not mad or anything!" He insisted.
You weren't convinced, "Do you feel okay? I didn't take too much?"
"No I don't think so," he said, his cheeks were flushed, "I just feel a little lightheaded and my heart rate is through the roof."
"Hm. Did I..." you were afraid to ask, because you already knew the answer, "I feel awful. I didn't know you hadn't kissed anyone before."
"Oh! Wait how did you know? ...Was it that obvious?"
"Uh, yeah, kinda?"
He sat up, "Okay, it was my first. B-but don't feel bad! You did it for our team..." He bowed his head a bit and he looked sad.
"It obviously isn't okay," your brow furrowed, "Lately, I've noticed you holding back on your quirk. I didn't think we had another option at the time... next time I'll try to give you a heads up or just not do it at all."
"That's not what I want!" Izuku suddenly grabbed your hand. He flinched at his own actions, but he was shaking. You waited to hear him out. "I just mean, if it had to be anyone borrowing my power, I'm glad it was you."
He was staring intently into your eyes. Those huge, innocent eyes pleaded for you to not feel guilty. Even as he sat there shaking like a scared puppy.
"I mean it," his grip tightened, "It's hard to see you like this. Do you regret it?"
What is he asking, exactly? You did regret it because you felt like a crummy thief. Kissing was almost second nature for you because it had to be. Not for him, though...
"Midoriya. (Y/N)." Iida approached your sad, sitting session, "Congratulations on your win. I must say, I really thought we had you. However, I am glad that more of our class will be moving on to the finals."
"You guys did amazing, Iida. It was dumb luck that saved us," you said.
"I'd have to disagree. You two continue to surprise me, but as your president, I must request that you compose yourselves. We must bring dignity to our school and our class."
"Right!" You were both on your feet like little Iida-soldiers.
You noticed Izuku still hadn't let go of your hand. It gave you a weird feeling inside. You didn't think about him in the way you thought about Shinso. Or even Bakugo. He was your friend - a shy, sweet guy with a heart of gold.
But his hand enveloping yours confused your heart. You giggled to spare him from feeling any more awkward and pulled your hand away, "Oops, people might get the wrong idea, huh?"
"Oh! Y-yeah, that'd be weird..." he rubbed his fingers together.
You joined the others in front of Midnight. She was grinning at you and doing some sort of excited, wiggle dance, "You look hot out there, (Y/N)-baby!" Thank the good gods her microphone wasn't on yet. There were only 16 of you left in the last round, and something told you this was going to be harder than the other challenges combined.
A student with slick blond hair crept up beside you. You didn't know him personally, but you recognized him from class 1-B, "It makes sense that you're related to the R-Rated superhero, doesn't it?" His tone was borderline insane; sickly sweet but extra condescending.
"Who're you again?" you asked.
"It doesn't surprise me that you haven't bothered to get to know other classes," he sighed, "But we know all about you. I'm Neito Monoma. What an interesting quirk you have there. It reminds me a little of mine. Maybe I can show you sometime?" When your eyes narrowed, his grin widened, "What's with that face? We should try to get to know our fellow heroes in training, right? You don't need to be so rude."
"Touch her and you're dead."
Izuku stiffened next to you when you both heard the threatening voice of Katsuki Bakugo approaching. The lord of destruction could hardly keep himself from strangling Monoma on the spot, "So much as look in her direction and I'll kill you. Again."
"So scary," Monoma laughed, "How naughty, (Y/N). Having more than one boyfriend? So very bold."
You frowned, "That's not true. And it's not your business, anyway."
"Oh yeah, I guess you have to kiss everyone to use your quirk. Must be hard," his tone was really starting to bug you, "You should really branch out from your class if that's the case, so you don't get stuck with these attention-seeking mongrels."
You understood Bakugo's anger now. What a prick! Where did he get off?
"Hey," you said, "Didn't your team lose - miserably? Maybe you should have something to back up those bold comments of yours before talking to us again."
You received some satisfaction in Monoma's cocky retreat. For someone who enjoyed hearing himself talk, he didn't have much to say after that. Bakugo smiled but huffed when you looked his way, "He's just an IDIOT. Quit grinning at me like that!"
"What was that about?" Izuku asked you.
"No freaking idea."
If that was just a reaction from someone who went to your school, what did the audience think of you? You sighed. There was no reason to keep worrying about it - you were in this now.
"Our last round..." Midnight captured your attention and paused for dramatic effect, "ONE ON ONE BATTLES!"
The crowd cheered. Their volume alone gave you a shot of adrenaline. This is what you've been training for. You knew it was a possibility to go up against guys like Todoroki or Bakugo. You were afraid of the possible scrutiny, but the feeling that battled against that was the desire to prove yourself. You could be a hero! People like you, and even Shinso, didn't need to be pushed to the dark.
The screen was back, and this time it displayed the tournament chart - who would battle who first. Your first battle was with Denki. Splendid, he probably hadn't forgiven you for the mall incident yet.
You scanned the chart, trying to guess who would beat who, and who you would have to likely face next. If you made it past Denki, that is. The first tournament battle to take place was between...
Izuku and Shinso?
You bit your bottom lip until it hurt. You were beyond thrilled for Shinso, especially when he placed in the second round. He was brilliant and deserved more than general studies.
But...
"That is you, right? Izuku Midoriya?"
You turned to see Izuku had become a withered leaf, completely spooked by the sudden presence behind him. Shinso appeared out of nowhere. Even you took an unintentional step back. Shinso's deep, purple eyes looked down at your friend with a dark expression
You shivered.
"A pleasure," his tone was flat, "So, are you excited?"
He's already closing in? Your chest was ripping in two. If you stayed silent, Izuku would lose, no contest. He'd walk right into that ring with Shinso and immediately walk out, be disqualified, and most likely have no memory of the whole experience.
But, if you interfered, then Shinso could lose. What would that make you - a bad friend? You wanted to help him, not sabotage him. Izuku had great power. A single punch could end Shinso's chances of getting into the hero course.
What do I do!
Shinso's stare trailed towards you. You couldn't help but feel that he was testing you, daring you to stop him. He could have waited until you were away. You clenched your fists. He was doing this in front of you on purpose.
You glared back. It's not my place...
Even so, your hand reached out for Izuku. If it was to stop him from falling for Shinso's trap, you weren't entirely sure. It just didn't seem fair. But then, that would make you a hypocrite, wouldn't it? How many times had you stored energy before an event at school?
Your hand dropped to your side.
Ojiro, the boy with the tail from your class, jumped onto the scene like an actual superhero, "Not so fast!"
His tail blocked Izuku's mouth, so he couldn't respond to Shinso. Oh yeah, Ojiro had been one of the people on Shinso's team. He probably figured out how Shinso's quirk worked.
Shinso just grinned and walked off with a chuckle. You watched him closely, trying to figure out why he was acting so strangely. Normally, actions made a person feel pride or guilt. In this case, deciding to do nothing, was just as impactful for you. What was the right thing to do? When you looked back at Ojiro, he was giving you a distrusting glare.
You deserved it. Or did you? Shinso was just doing what everyone else was - trying his hardest to win with what he had.
You swallowed and turned away from Ojiro's oppressive stare. They just didn't understand. It wasn't as simple as good or bad - black and white. Ojiro was doing what he felt was right to help his friend...
That's what I'm doing too.