℘Chapter Seven: Winning or Losing℘
Sports Festival
Over the past week, I've been training harder than ever. After what happened with Kacchan, I felt a little more at peace with my Quirk. So, in an attempt to gain more confidence I've been asking Hitoshi and Kacchan to sit in on my Quirk training. Whenever someone is nearby, I feel nervous about using my Quirk so I can only imagine how this last test is going to fan out.
One-on-one battles until there is only one victor. It's terrifying. I can't help but let the dread build up in my system. My first fight is with Hitoshi. It shouldn't be too hard. As long as I don't say a word. But, if I win then my next fight will be with either Sero or Todoroki. Todoroki and I have gotten closer since I met class 1A, but I can tell he doesn't really trust me. He's too suspicious of my relationship with All Might.
My thoughts halt as Present Mic announces that the first battle will be underway in five minutes. My heart lurches and rests in my throat. I'm up first. At least it's with someone I know. Hitoshi and I normally spar, so I can gauge his physical strength from those fights.
I stand up and make my way down the hallway toward the rest rooms. As I open the door, a hand slams into my back. I stumble forward and whip around to see Kacchan standing in the doorway. A smile builds over my nerves and I raise a hand.
"Hey Kacchan." He grunts softly and pushes me aside so he can walk into the room.
"I'm only here to tell you something, then I'm going back to the fucking stands." I nod my head slowly. He kicks the leg of the metal table and I cringe as it grates on the concrete ground. He turns to me and shoves his hands in his pockets.
"I don't care if you're scared, Izuku. I want you to use your Quirk on me. When we fight, don't fucking hold back. If you do, you can consider thing little fucking friendship of our over. I don't fucking tolerate weakness and if you're weak, I'll fucking drop you. So when we fucking get up there and fight - because we will - go all out. Got it, Deku?" My eyes water slightly and a grin splits my lips.
"I'll make sure I win so that we can fight. I mean it!" Kacchan nods his head and briskly walks out of the room.
I place a hand over my heart and feel myself blush. To anyone else, that would've sounded insulting and downright cruel. But in reality, that was Kacchan hyping me up. He wants me to beat everyone else so that we can fight. He wants me to do well.
As Present Mic calls for Hitoshi and I to make our way out, courage fills me to the brim. I slap my cheeks slightly and jog out in to the stadium.
I stagger back from Hitoshi. I threw him. Out of bounds. I won. I turn and scan the crowd for that spiky, blond hair. I catch his eye and shoot him a wink. His face goes red and I giggle as he stands up and starts setting off explosions in the palms of his hands. With a small wave to him I turn back to Hitoshi and help him back onto his feet.
"Sorry about that, 'Toshi." He gives me a good natured smile and waves my worry off.
"Nah, good job Izu. But you'll probably have to fight that ice guy." I nod my head.
"Yeah, but I'm not too nervous now." We walk back to our seat after getting Hitoshi and myself checked over by Recovery Girl.
The fights are all intense and it leaves every person in the stadium on the edge of their seats. It isn't long after Kacchan's fight that I'm leaving my seat to fight Todoroki. My nerves are coming back and I feel sweat along my hairline. I reach the cement stage and wait for Present Mic to screech "begin".
My head is pounding. I can't feel my arms, they must be broken. My eyes open and all I can see is rubble. We did that. As I sit up slowly, my muscles seize and I let out a scream of pain. I must have pinched a few nerves. I can't move. My body is rigid and I feel hot tears stream down my face. I can't move my head to assess the damage done to my body; all I can do is wait for help.
It's not long before the smoke clears and someone has their arms around me. I'm picked up gently and transported to the recovery centre. Someone kneads into my back and feeling rushes back into my body. I let out a relieved moan and uncurl my body. I attempt to sit up again and look around the infirmary. All Might is sitting next to my bed and Recovery Girl is watching me.
"W-where's Todoroki?" My voice is rough and it scratches against my throat as I speak. All Might sighs and point behind him.
"He is in the bed behind me. He is injured a lot worse than you, Izuku. I'm honestly so proud of you. You've come so far since we first met and you've developed One For All quicker than I thought you would. You're nowhere near 100%, but you're passed 10% now." He placed a hand on my ankle and gives it a gentle squeeze.
I feel tears in my eyes again and I smile at him. "Thanks Toshinori! But I need to know, who won the fight?" My eyes glimmer with hope and All Might's grin returns.
"You did, young Izuku." I go to hug him, but my arms protest against it. I look down and cringe. Bandaged. At least they're not in casts like other times.
All Might understands what I want and reaches over to pull me into a gentle hug. "You have made me a proud mentor, Izuku." I grin up at him and hug him tight.
Recovery Girl interrupts us with a stern smile. "Yagi, get out of here so she can rest while I heal her wounds." He stands up and sends us both a large smile and a wave goodbye.
I turn to Recovery Girl and she pulls me closer by my shoulders. Her lips land on my forehead and I smile as I feel the injuries mending. She leans back and bumps me on the head with the giant syringe.
"Thank you very much."
"I don't want to see you injured for a long while, young missy." I nod my head and sit up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. The world spins for a moment and I stand up slowly. As I step toward Todoroki's bed, the door bursts open.
"Where the fuck is that shitty Deku?!" I turn to the door and see Kacchan, tall, proud and furiously worried. My heart beats faster as his eyes scan the room and soon lock onto me. He strides towards me, his feet banging against the ground like small earthquakes.
"You!" He raises his hands, his steps quicker than before. I give him a smile and meet him halfway.
"Heya Kacchan!" I watch as his arm swings around and I flinch slightly, expecting him to punch me. But the hit never comes. Instead, his arm wraps around me, tugging me into his chest. I freeze for a moment before I realize that Kacchan is actually hugging me.
"I thought you'd fucking died. So much smoke, I could barely see if you were moving! Then the fucking paramedics take you here. I was so goddamn fucking scared you piece of shit! I just found you and then you pull something like that? God you make me angry." His eyes are burning with emotion and I stare up at him. He looks so sad, buried beneath his anger and fear.
"I'm sorry Kac-" Before I can comprehend what's happening, his lips are on mine. I can't move. I wasn't expecting this at all. I mean, I won't lie, Kacchan is very attractive and I've had a slight crush on him for a long time. But, I'd never thought that he might feel something for me.
His lips push fervently against mine, trying to pull out a reaction. I slowly feel my body melt against his. This foreign feeling is starting to fade and it leaves a comfortable swell in my chest. I wrap my arms around his neck and tug him closer to me, down to my height.
His tongue traces my bottom lip and I try to think back to every romance novel, magazine or movie I've read or watched. How did they kiss? It was always passionate, heated and filled with tongue. I spread my lips slightly and not a moment later, I feel his tongue sliding into my mouth. It's hot and wet, and god I've never felt so excited in my life.
As his tongue glides with mine, a moan finds its way out of me and into the open room. I flush with embarrassment and try to pull away, but Kacchan keeps a firm grip on me. His lips and tongue are incessant, like if we stop kissing, he'll die.
I give in for a moment, just relishing in the passionate way he kisses and holds me tight against himself. But then it's ruined. A pained groan from Todoroki allows me enough leverage to pull my mouth from Kacchan's. The blond boy immediately tries to reconnect our lips, but I push him away gently with my hand.
"I uh...why?" I look into his eyes and ask softly.
"No fuckin reason." His voice is also soft and I smile.
"Well, if you ever wanna do that again, there's gotta be a real good reason. Like for example, if you liked me?" I bat my eyelashes and smirk as his face gets even redder.
"Fuck off shitty deku." There's no malice in his words and I revel in this feeling of happiness.
"Anyway about the battle. Who are we up to?" I'm curious. I want to know how long until my next battle.
"The next fight is to decide third place, then it's me and you." His eyes pick up a playful glint and I giggle as his hand glides over my cheek and pinches it for a moment. "Don't forget what I said earlier, alright Deku?" With that, he walks out of the room, waving and shoving his hands into his pockets.
I only have to wait around 20 minutes until Present Mic is announcing that the final fight is starting. My hands are sweating. I can't feel my legs as I make my way outside into the arena. The wind blows through my curly hair and I throw a hand over my eyes to shield them from the glaring sun. I take a deep breath and stride up the steps, into the fighting area.
Kacchan stands before me, his trademark smirk on full display. I throw him a small wave and he responds with a wink and a bite of his lip. I feel my cheeks heat up and I avert my gaze. What the fuck.
I'm startled into my fighting stance when Present Mic loudly screams "begin". Kacchan doesn't waste a moment, and immediately jumps towards me. His fists are behind him, letting off explosions to propel him forward. As he nears me, I let my foot fly into his face with a strong kick. It knocks him to the ground and the air is pushed around from the force. I watch as he stands back up, wiping a small trail of blood from his mouth.
His eyes are wide with confusion. "What the fuck, Deku?" I grin and raise my fists, my body glowing with feint green patterns. His eyes narrow, knowing that this isn't going to be as easy as he first thought.
"Come get me, Kacchan." I taunt and as he raises his fist, I dodge and throw my own. But my punch is blocked and he set an explosion off right in my face. I shield my face from the flame and jump back. A series of explosions go off above me and I look up. Kacchan is falling down toward me, explosions coming with him. I throw a punch to knock him away, but he shoves my arm away and lets off an explosion on my elbow.
I let out a pained yell and cradle my elbow to my chest. He shows no restraint in his blows. His words from earlier echo in my mind. Use my Quirk...no. I'll win this without my original Quirk.
Kacchan's face is littered with stray concern for me but I wave him off. "Don't get shy, Kacchan."
"Hah? I should be saying that to you, Deku! Why don't you use the Quirk you're better with?" I shake my head. I run toward him and aim a kick at his legs, hoping to knock him off his feet. He dodges it and explode the area my feet are standing on. The cement cracks and breaks into chunks. I pick one up and throw it into the air, then kick it toward where Kacchan is standing. He doesn't even blink as he explodes the cement chunk. I shield my face from the small pieces of exploded cement.
I can't keep going like this. I'm tired and my muscles are still sore from my previous fights. Kacchan is getting angry as well.
"Use it Deku! I swear to fucking god, you shitnerd! Use your goddamn Quirk!" I grit my teeth and slam my hands onto the ground. Just a little bit.
The concrete bends around where Kacchan is standing and the concrete floor starts to lower and spread upwards, in a sort of cage. Kacchan is quick to fly out using his explosions. I rip my hands from the floor and I feel my sanity slipping slightly from how tired I am. I shake my head, forcing myself to concentrate. An idea hits me in this moment of insanity. Grab his explosion. Take it.
Thinking about it a bit more, I can't really take his explosion, so I take the next best thing. Kacchan's Quirk works by igniting the nitroglycerin sweat he produces. If I take the sweat, I take his ability to produce large explosions. I rake my gaze over Kacchan's body and raise my hands slightly higher. He's running towards me, so I have to act quick.
I swipe my hand from right to left and watch as the sweat that had been lying all over Kacchan's skin quickly forms a large, floating ball of murky liquid. Kacchan doesn't notice it and look at the giant goblets filled with fire. Another idea strikes me, and in the back of my mind I know it's dangerous, so so dangerous. But, I'm losing my grip on reality. I just want to lay down, maybe kiss Kacchan again. I want to see my mum, and Toshinori again.
I move one of my arms from in front of the liquid, and move it over to the fire. I beckon the fire with my being. I force it to comply and watch as it moves fluidly towards us. Kacchan has finally noticed what I'm doing. His eyes are wide, and for the first time since we were six, I see a hint of fear in his crimson gaze.
"Deku, don't." I ignore Kacchan. It'll be okay. It's just an explosion. Enough to knock him out of the arena. Enough so that I can win and this will be over. The fire reaches me and I push it to meet with the nitroglycerin that had slowly made it's way to the ground. As soon as they meet, a loud and blinding bang sounds. I feel the explosion throw me away, but I manage to catch myself with some of the concrete by turning it into a soft wall. The only thought that runs through my head now is that Kacchan might not be alive. He could be dead. It's all my fault. That wasn't what I wanted to happen.
It's not long before the entire stadium is filled with smoke, and fires blaze, spreading over the grass. I'm picked up by Cementoss and I cling to him for dear life, my lung trying to rid themselves of the thick smoke. "I-I'm sorry." The hero shakes his head and continues walking until we reach the infirmary. Twice within two hours, a new record.
Recovery Girl isn't happy to see me at all. "I thought we agreed that you wouldn't be in here for a while." I look down at the floor and apologize. The elderly woman shakes her head and instructs Cementoss to place me onto a bed so she can asses the damage. The pro hero leaves soon after and I grit my teeth as I think about Kacchan. Where is he?
The door bursts open, and just like that, all my worries are answered.
"You fucking piece of shit this is twice now. Not even two hours apart. I swear to fucking everything holy I will kill you if you do some shit like this again." He strides over to where I'm sitting and grabs my face. He presses a kiss to my lips and I reciprocate, nearly completely forgetting that Recovery Girl is right next to me.
A bump on the head reminds me though. I pull away from Kacchan with a guilty smile and turn to face the healer. "You'll have to go to a hospital. I'm suited to physical injuries or wounds, not smoke inhalation." She turns around and strides to her desk to grab the phone.
Kacchan turns to me and slams his fist down onto my head. "What were you fucking thinking? Goddamn Deku!" Tears drip down my cheeks slowly and I look at the ground.
"I-I wasn't thinking, Kacchan. I just wanted it to be over." He glares at me and grabs my chin to force me to look at him.
"Well next time, fucking think goddamnit." I'm about to respond when All Might barges into the room with a less than pleased smile on his face.
"Young Izuku. What in the world were you thinking? I know I told you to tell people that 'you are here', but that was too far." I drop my head even further.
"I'm sorry All Might." He rests a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm also very proud of you, upset, but proud. You worked through your fear and used your Quirk. I'm unsure if young Bakugou has told you yet, but you were not out of bounds, whilst he was. So, in turn, you won, my girl." My vision swims as I take in this information. I look at Kacchan and he's pouting at the wall to his left. He's avoiding my gaze.
"Thanks All Might. Could I have a moment alone with Kacchan?" The hero nods and leaves without question.
I look at Kacchan again and grin. He yelps when I pull him down on top of me. I fist my hands into his spiky hair and scratch gently at the scalp. His face flushes and a peaceful look settles on his handsome features.
"So. I won, did I?" He groans and shoves his face into my stomach.
"Fuck you." I grin.
"Maybe later." His head shoots up with a deep blush on his cheeks. "You reckon they'll let me into 1A?"
"They'd be stupid not to. You took first place in two of the tests. You're the strongest first year." I smile up at him and preen as he tucks a few stray curls behind my ear.
His eyes are heated and I can't look away. "Can I kiss you, Deku?" His voice is husky and low. It sends shivers down my spine.
"Only if you like me. Because I like you and-" he cuts me off with a gentle kiss. His lips leave mine and I whine softly.
"I like you, shitty Deku."
I squeal loudly and throw my arms around his neck. I sit up and force him backwards until he's lying on his back.
"This means you're my boyfriend. No take-backs." He splutters and I smile. This is good. I never really thought I'd get to be with Kacchan.
"Deku." His tone is serious and it confuses me. We're talking about light-hearted things now, so why is he so solemn? "You didn't use your Quirk because you've gotten over your fear, did you?"
Oh. I don't really want to talk about that right. "Not really, no." I wring my hands and glance up at him.
His eyes are hard, but they soften slightly as he speaks. "You need to get over this fear of your Quirk. You'll never be a hero if you can't utilize your full power." I nod my head. Kacchan is right.