.
.
Shortly after that Recovery Girl kicked us out so she could handle Midoriya's surgery. The two of us were silent as we walked back to our seats.
"I'm actually kinda glad that's off my chest now," Yukime sighed before running her hands through her hair, "I guess we each have our own problems, huh? I have the self-destructive kid that has to manage me and my stick in the mud brother with our mental health problems, and you have happy, sleepy, and grumpy."
I laughed at the comparisons only to quickly drift back to the way she had reacted to Endeavor. I opened my mouth to ask about it just in time for the man himself to appear in front of us. The hostility in the air was almost palpable.
"Yukime," He growled, his anger obvious but nowhere close to the loathing that was radiating from my friend, "Your match will start in a moment. If you win, you will be against Shoto…"
Yukime stayed silent, simply burning a hole through her father's head with her glare.
"You won't be able to win against him, especially since he's come to his senses and is now using my flames," He started as he began to move past us, finishing his statement as he left, "so at least make Shoto look good."
I was rendered speechless. That was the number two hero?! I shook myself out of my stupor and glared at the man's back. "Well, he's disgusting."
"He's the one that scarred me," Yukime said but her voice sounded emotionless yet broken at the same time.
Not knowing what more to say, we separated - me to the seats and her to the tunnel to the arena. By the time I made it to my seat, the match was starting.
"Next match is: Tenya Ida versus Yukime Himura!"
As soon as they started the match it was over. Yukime turned to the crowd, similar to her brother – I could only assume she was glaring daggers at Endeavor, and without even looking at Ida, she sent ice rocketing across the ground and up his legs to shoot up into the sky even higher than Todoroki had done with his iceberg. The only parts of Ida in the ice were his arms and legs, meaning she had successfully immobilized him without even looking, much less moving. As they announced her as the winner, she promptly flipped her father off before storming out of the arena.
My class was speechless. Even Katsuki had nothing to say and slightly widened eyes, though, he was smirking. Was he…impressed?
Again, they had to thaw the arena before the next match, so I took the time to turn to look at him. I knew he wasn't happy with me. His arms were kept to himself, and he hadn't even acknowledged me since I sat down. "He has to have surgery…in case you wanted to know. Recovery Girl told him she was done healing arm injuries of his like that, too, so…"
I sighed deeply when he still didn't react, my body turning forward again. Figuring he didn't want me there anymore, I moved to stand only for my wrist to be caught in a tight grip.
"Sit the hell down, dumbass," He may not have looked at me, but I noticed a dusting of pink across his nose, "I guess it's normal to worry about people…even if it is stupid Deku, so…I'm not mad," He added the last part so quietly it was a shock that I heard him.
Smiling brightly, I reacted without thinking, sitting back down, and wrapping my arms around him in a hug while he froze up. Eijiro's laugh snapped me out of my moment, and I jumped off Katsuki, my face burning darker red than Eijiro's hair.
Said boy leaned down, his arms resting on each of our shoulders, giving Katsuki a grin, "You're totally not gunna last as just a friend, Bakugo, or at least, she's not gunna make it easy to do. Just be manly and give us a shot," He spoke lowly to keep others from hearing, but all it did was send chills down my spine.
"Us," I squeaked before clamping my hands over my mouth in embarrassment.
Katsuki had turned to glare at Eijiro, but the pink across his nose had spread further.
"Yeah, us," The red head's grin turned to me now, "I guess it's your turn next, Hana. You gunna fight with no quirk again?"
"Against Tokoyami?! You've gotta be kidding! No, I think I'll do something…that I've kind of taken a liking to!" Thankful for the subject change, I brightened at my last words before lightly patting Katsuki's cheek.
.
.
"Next match: Hana Aizawa versus Fumikage Tokoyami!"
I smirked at my classmate, "I have five minutes to beat you or touch you. I think the first is more likely."
He chuckled as Darkshadow swirled around him, "We will see."
I was correct with my guess that since his quirk was darkness-based, light would be a weakness. I had copied Katsuki's quirk and had so much fun fighting my friend, that I almost didn't want it to end. As I felt the five minutes running out, I thanked him for the match before sending a large explosion his way, which he dodged out of instinct, but that led him to land out of bounds.
After the match he thanked me, saying that he had enjoyed the match as much as I had. I waved him off as he headed back to the seats, and I made my way to Recovery Girl for the minor burns that now littered my hands and forearms. Knowing my next match was against either Katsuki or Eijiro didn't settle well with me, and I was stuck in my own head the entire time the nurse treated my injuries. After sending me on my way, I started to rush back to my seat, but then my rush slowed to a stop. I didn't want to be alone while watching them fight, but I knew I should still show my support. It'd probably make Eijiro upset and Katsuki might get snippy if I didn't watch them. You know…that whole exhausting guy-ego thing.
I turned around, and ran through the stupidly maze-like halls, again shyly peaking into the General Studies seating area and quickly spotting Shinso. Taking a deep breath, I was thankful that he was semi-antisocial because he was sitting in the back row, meaning it was easier for me to get to him. Ignoring the looks and quiet murmurs, I strode right up to Shinso. He slowly looked up at me and a small smirk lifted the corner of his lips, "Miss me already, Aizawa?"
My eyes drifted to the conveniently empty seat beside him, then out towards the two that were currently throwing attacks at each other. Eijiro had swung his fist, just barely clipping the edge of Katsuki's cheek while the latter had swung his palm directly into the red head's ribs, blasting a point-blank explosion into his hardened side.
"I'm concerned, and didn't wanna watch this," I mumbled, "But I feel like I should…so…can I…?"
Shinso gave me a small nod, so I joined him. We were both silent as the match went on, simply watching the match, at least until Katsuki landed another strong hit and Eijiro cried out in pain. I flinched, clenching my hands as my wide eyes worriedly shot between the two. By the look on Katsuki's face, he had figured out something to his advantage.
Shinso looked over at me, taking in my paleness, and nudged me with his shoulder. Tearing my eyes away from the two in the arena, I looked at him in confusion only for him to meet my gaze and motion down to his hand, lifting a brow as a silent offer. I hesitated a moment before gently taking his hand, feeling myself relax immensely, and turned back to the match not noticing the barely noticeable smile hovering on his lips.
Katsuki's next move was ridiculous, almost like he had snapped. Explosion after explosion went off, making my heart drop and my stomach clench painfully at my soulmate's rampage. Even if we didn't know each other for long, the comfort Shinso had offered was very welcome at this moment. Yes, I know Katsuki was using this level of strength because he saw Eijiro as an opponent that was that level, that didn't make it any easier to watch them fight each other.
I flinched hard when I heard Katsuki shout, "NOW DIE!"
"Bakugo's low-down carpet-bombing blasts him into the third round! With that, we have our final four!"
At Mic's comment, I swallowed dryly as my mind completely shut down. I was going to have to fight Katsuki, and judging by how he fought against Eijiro, he was for sure going to pose a problem for me. Thinking of fighting the blonde like that, though, the reality was that I needed a plan.
Sending Shinso a weak smile and my thanks – knowing he could tell I had a lot on my mind, I trudged away to my class' prep room. I sat heavily on one of the stiff chairs, dragging my hands through my hair as I tried not to overthink. I really needed to get a handle on this panicking, it was getting old really quickly.
I groaned loudly in frustration before dropping both arms and my head onto the table with a thud. "What am I supposed to do…" I whispered, staring at the table.
"You're supposed to fight me. Thought that was obvious, dumbass."
I jumped, turning my head to see Katsuki standing in the doorway. The look on his face was different from ones he normally had when talking to me. He looked determined, sure, but…he looked like something else was on his mind which had me curious yet even more nervous.
"I meant the fact that I don't know how to fight you…" The words slipped from me without my say, and I groaned, explaining further, "First, your quirk is ridiculously strong – which of course, saying that is only building your ego – and I don't know what to plan against it. Secondly…look," I sighed deeply, "I know you don't want anything from us and this soulmate thing, and I never thought I would either before meeting everyone. When I thought about it before, it seemed like too much hassle, but now... Eijiro and I have started trying to figure things out for a possible relationship, and I'm already getting closer to Shinso as a friend at this point…but then there's you. You act like you like being around me sometimes, then immediately turn and act like you hate me. You say you don't want anything from the bond, and yet…you keep acting like you actually do! I don't get it! Hell, I just want to be your friend, at least! I may act all sure of myself when I fight, but I'm nowhere close to strong enough for this type of fight, I'm not confident at all! This is when those stupid voices in my head get to me. I'm just fucking cheat, basically quirkless…" by the end of my rant I had gone from speaking in a normal tone of voice to a slightly raised voice to lowered down to almost a whisper.
Katsuki's eyes had widened slightly, but he hadn't made a move to say anything.
Again, I sighed, "I'll figure something out…"
At that I stood up, and left the room, fully intent on going to the seating area now. If anything, I could just randomly copy, and work on a whim, even if that was the number one rule from dad of what not to do with my quirk. Once I joined my classmates, however, I was met with a sight that had my mouth gaping in shock.
The arena floor was absolutely demolished, and the judges seemed on the edge of stopping the match like they had with Todoroki and Midoriya's match. Ice filled the entire arena, though it was thankfully away from the audience this time. The twins were currently staring at each other as they caught their breath, little puffs of mist hovering around them as they did so.
I rushed to the railing in astonishment, "What the hell happened?!"
Uraraka answered, "Yukime made the first attack, but Todoroki went back to not using his fire. After a little bit, she just…kind of lost it. Most of this is from her," She motioned at the sight in front of us.
My eyes widened, "Holy shit…" I breathed in awe.
"Deku looks like he's about to burst, though. Not sure why…maybe because he thinks what he said didn't work to help Todoroki?" Uraraka prattled worriedly.
I didn't answer, choosing to look at the green-haired boy. She was right, he looked a hot mess. My eyes went back to the fight just as Yukime screamed at the top of her lungs, large clouds of mist drifting with each word. "FIGHT ME !"
Another massive ice pillar shot out of the ground, rushing towards him only to be stopped by an opposing wall of ice. The sound the ice made when they collided was awful, making us all flinch.
"All that I had to endure…you have no clue! You think I'm a waste of a quirk, too…don't you, Shoto. Is that why you won't use your flames?!" Her eyes were crazed and lines of ice had formed along her cheeks from what I could only guess had been tears. Small flames flickered to life along Todoroki's arm, and Yukime's eyes suddenly lit up along with them. She smiled brightly yet you could still see that she was falling apart, mentally and physically. "You'll do it?! I have to win this way, don't you get it?! I'll finally be strong…finally mean something… He'll acknowledge that much, right?"
My mind flashed back to what Yukime had told Shinso and me after the cavalry battle, and then to the awful interactions that came from meeting Endeavor. This man had to be even worse than he seemed.
Todoroki's eyes shone with conflicting emotions as the flames roared to life, only to suddenly vanish as he watched his sister take a wobbly step forward – thick ice covering each of her arms and partially up her legs – only for her to collapse in exhaustion.
Silence…
"The…The winner is Shoto Todoroki," Midnight announced, but the atmosphere wasn't one of excitement. Medics immediately rushed out to the arena, collecting the half-frozen girl onto a gurney and leaving as rapidly as they arrived, with Todoroki following closely behind them.
Again I looked at Midoriya, who looked to be really struggling with the situation. I walked over, kneeling down in front of him, "They have Recovery Girl down there for healing, and we both know she's the best. Don't worry, Midoriya." He looked me in the eye for a moment before nodding slowly. I watched him a moment longer, then chewed on the inside of my cheek lightly then I muttered, "I can't even figure out fighting next round…I've got no plan."
"W-what? You're not going to fight Kacchan with no quirk like you did with Mina, are you?!" he asked equally quietly, only getting a shrug in response, and he gave me a look of concern.
.
.
It took a lot longer for them to clear up the ice this time, and during that break, I had been trying to figure out my game plan for my match on my own. By the time they had finally finished, I was panicking…again.
I still had nothing.
I was pacing back and forth in the entrance tunnel to the arena, tugging at my hair in frustration. 'I guess I just get to do this head to head with only my physical strength. Nothing to worry about there, right?' I scoffed at myself, and the next thing I knew they were announcing Katsuki's name.
Just as Mic's voice sounded, I heard footsteps rush up behind me. I turned to see Midoriya panting as he sort of slid to a stop by me. "Midoriya? I gotta…" I glanced back to the entrance.
Still panting he held his hand out to me with his palm up and splayed fingers, almost like he was asking for something, before gasping out simply, "Just…imagine not exploding."
My eyes went wide, before I grinned confidently, slapping my hand down on his, "Thank you!"
"-Versus Hana Aizawa!"
Feeling the crazy rush of power surge through my body, and, despite the phantom pain in my arm, I felt a smirk grace my lips as I joined the hothead. Judging from my one experience with this quirk and from what Midoriya said, this was most likely going to be a loss on my end. I was gunna give Katsuki a hell of a time beforehand, though.
"Start!"
He rushed at me, hand crackling as he neared. 'I'm gunna let him think I came in here with nothing for a bit, that way it'll really catch him off guard,' I thought as I crouched, waiting for the perfect moment before dodging to the side, though the shockwave from his explosion kicked me to the ground with a grunt.
Again, he came after me, this time blasting himself into the air a little to attack from slightly above, and I dodged at the perfect time again. Hearing him growl in frustration made me giggle, and that definitely didn't help with his anger.
"The hell are you laughing about, Copy Cat?!" Katsuki shouted as I put some distance between us, "Did you really come into this fight with nothing? It's not a fair fight if you're quirkless!"
My smirk vanished and my heart dropped as the voices filled my head, telling me the same negative thoughts that I had mentioned earlier in the prep room, "So you think that too…"
Mic's commentary didn't help as he spoke up about it also, "Did she get into this match against Bakugo without a copied quirk?! This isn't looking good…" In the back of my mind, I knew that dad couldn't say too much due to the need to treat all students equally, but I also had selfishly hoped that he would defend me like he had the others against hateful comments. I knew that people would say he was favoring me only because I was his daughter.
I clenched my fists, feeling Midoriya's quirk surge into my arms, and knew there were red veins showing along them. Just as the blonde's eyes widened in realization, I released it, which honestly shocked me a little because I didn't know I could release a copied quirk on command.
Now he was really confused, and his rage level seemed to be near bursting. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"
My eyes flickered up to the announcer's box then down to the ground. I was silent for a second, willing away the tears that threatened to spill, then I looked back up at him with a glare that made him just barely flinch, "You know…I was gunna just mess around a bit, then use the quirk and make this look good for you to win. Now, though…I'm gunna do this on my own, I'm gunna make a God damn point. You may be one of my friends, Katsuki, but you can be such an asshole!"
He growled angrily again, immediately launching himself at me, and I barely dodged in time, "Like I said to Mina earlier, you seem to forget who my dad is. His quirk isn't an attack quirk, but he still held his own against those villains at the USJ, right? Who do you think helped get me here?" My comments landed on seemingly deaf ears, but I didn't care.
I managed to dodge his next explosion by ducking down under his arm then lunging forward myself, punching him directly in the stomach with aided force from the shockwave of his attack. He was only winded for a second, recovering quickly to blast my right side and shoulder. I was sent skidding to the side, clenching my teeth to not make a sound other than the curse that slipped as I rushed to dodge his next attack by rolling to the side.
"Stop dodging me!" the boy roared furiously, launching himself into the air again.
I rolled to the side in another dodge, ignoring the burning from my shoulder, then said, "Why? So you can 'kill me'?" I then landed a kick with both feet to his side which made him stumble. Taking advantage of the stumble, I jumped up and landed a punch in the same general area as the kick, while bitterly saying, "Or maybe you wanna 'blow me to bits'? I'm not an idiot, I can't take direct explosions."
His glare that was directed at me didn't hold its usual burn, "Shut the fuck up already," Growling again, he ran at me. For some reason, I figured he was going for another frontal attack, so I wasn't prepared for him to blast up and over me last second. I didn't have time to turn around before he sent an explosion into my back, shooting me forward and slamming me into the arena floor. My head spun from the impact, but I was able to make out the shadow of him looming over me.
"Give up," His voice seemed to echo as a few pops and crackles sounded from his hands.
The ringing in my ears made it hard for me to hear what was being said by Present Mic, but I didn't really care. Uncle Zashi was gunna get an ear full from me later.
Slowly, I pulled both of my arms in and shifted my legs to use all the strength I had left to push myself up off the ground. "No," I snapped.
I was able to get my stomach off the ground slightly before he growled and shouted yet again, though this time there was a faint waver to his words, "Fucking STAY DOWN!" I couldn't stop the pained cry that ripped its way from my throat as he set off another blast to my already injured back, slamming me into the ground again.
The ringing became a steady alarm in my head now, as my vision wavered. The pressure of his foot wasn't on my back anymore, but I couldn't really bring myself to feel anything about that. I could only lay there and blankly stared out at the dark blobs coming in my direction after it was announced that the match was over.
I lost…
I felt like I had fought well with my own strength, despite the rest of the match being shit. As I was lifted and I guess put onto a gurney, I caught sight of what I thought was likely Katsuki from the blonde-colored blob on top of a darker shape. I hated that I wanted him to not worry. He should worry, but...ugh. We both messed up here. I saw one of his arms shakily move up towards his head, likely gripping his hair before someone else stepped in front of him as I was wheeled away.
.
.
"Your students are too reckless!" A woman's voice greeted me as I regained consciousness. "First the boy's arms, then the poor girl's limbs, and now your own daughter…thankfully she's not as injured, but that burn on her back will definitely scar."
I heard something shift at my bedside, and a heavy sigh ghosted across my hands. "All Might can manage Midoriya's punishment, and Nezu has said something about a counselor for Himura. I'll deal with Hana and Bakugo."
"I didn't do anything wrong," I croaked with my eyes still closed.
I could almost feel the look my dad gave me before rolling his eyes. "You knowingly got in a fist fight with a living minefield. What were you thinking?!"
Slowly opening my eyes that had rapidly pooled with tears, I gazed up at dad's tired eyes, "I'm not useless…and I'm not a cheat… I wanted to show people that I can be strong but not have to depend on other people's abilities to do that."
"Hana…" We stared at each other for a heartbeat, then he nodded slightly, "Once that burn is healed we can work on your physical strength. We'll also work on your time limit and how many quirks you can copy at once. You want to be stronger, prove it."
Just then, the door to the temporary nurse's office burst open with Eijiro immediately rushing in, while Shinso stood awkwardly at the open door.
Eijiro stopped by my feet, his hands gripping the small footboard, "Hey, are you ok? I managed to catch most of the match. What Bakugo did was definitely not manly at all!"
"He fought me like he would anyone else, though…so I can't be too mad at him, I guess," I sighed before remembering the match he had earlier, "Wait, what about you?"
He grinned cheekily as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Ah, it takes more than that to bring me down. A couple of scuffs here and there, no biggie." I eyed his bandages, but let him keep up his macho act thing.
"You're really gunna let it go that easily?" Shinso's scolding had everyone's attention on him and he finally trudged over to us with his hands in his pockets.
"I see it kinda like when he fought Uraraka. He didn't hold back, even with me not using a quirk. I shouldn't have reacted like I had, though, releasing the quirk I had borrowed wasn't the best option." I looked up at Recovery Girl with a mischievous smile, "Honestly, I was almost in here with really busted up arms again or legs this time, cause I had copied Midoriya's quirk right before the match, and had planned to use it."
The short woman huffed in annoyance, though she did smile slightly, "Well, I'm very glad you decided against it! Those injuries are too much for a young person to handle often." She then left our group to look through some paperwork.
When she left, I looked back at my dad, noticing that he was staring intimidatingly at the two boys, one of which was feeling the pressure while the other seemed to feel awkward yet looked indifferent.
I let my head fall to the pillow with a groan, "Look, I know you're not too excited about the whole soulmate thing for me – especially since I have three – but come on dad, it's not like they're villains or anything. They've been nothing but kind."
He hummed in acknowledgment, still staring them down, "I assume the last is Bakugo, yes?" His voice was laced with anger, which made the boys shrink away from him a little but I chose to ignore it at the moment.
Looking at my still aching marking, I couldn't stop the words that spilled from my mouth - damn word vomit, "I'm not so sure anymore…He doesn't seem to want to work anything out. I don't know what to do."
"As much as I hate this whole subject," Dad's eyes drifted down to me, still not showing much emotion, but definitely softer than they had been, "He has to figure something out, or it will only cause all four of you problems. Multiples have more severe reactions to rejections or losses. It's been proven to be severely emotionally damaging with trios, so there's no telling what the backlash could be or how severe it could be with four involved since it's so rarely seen."
His statement left us teens quiet, each likely thinking about the hot-headed teen that wasn't with us. My sudden gasp broke the silence, and I looked from person to person, "Wait, the last match! Has it started yet? It's Katsuki and Todoroki, right? Oh ! How is Yukime?!"
Shinso shook his head with a tiny exasperated smirk, while Eijiro laughed, "There's normal Hana. Yeah the match started, but it…well…Bakugo won, just not exactly how he wanted. I guess you'll find out about that in a little bit, they're going to need you in the award ceremony."
"Oh," I remembered that I had essentially tied for third with Yukime, "Am I healed enough to do that? I really wanna go!" My eyes darted back to dad's as I asked.
"Recovery Girl said she was able to heal most of the burns," Dad paused before standing tiredly, "I'll get you another shirt since yours is so damaged."
He went to do just that, but stopped as I grabbed his hand, "Actually…I want to keep the burnt shirt," I blushed in embarrassment as I said, "It might make me look tougher to the pros."
Dad rolled his eyes but still agreed, then he shooed the boys out so I could put on the battered shirt. Once they were gone, I pulled the blanket off and sat up staring at the giant hole in the back of the fabric of my top. I took a deep breath, putting the shirt on while wincing at the movement. I knew my bandages were clearly visible from the hole in the back, but the petty side of my mind kinda hoped that seeing them would make Katsuki feel at least a little bad.
It didn't take long for me to make my way to the field and then to the newly formed pedestals. Midnight directed me to the third place one, but once I stepped up on it I gaped at the occupant of the first place pedestal. Katsuki was muzzled, quirk cuffed, and even chained to a post as he thrashed around with a murderous glare.
Turning back to Midnight, I said "And he won?" She shook her head, looking completely over the day by this point. When I turned back around, though, I saw Katsuki looking back at me, his glare angry and I could see something flicker in his eyes for a moment. He had definitely noticed my back, I guess. Here I thought I would feel a little better seeing him regret what he did, but instead, I felt awful myself. I should have just worn a new shirt.
"Now let's move on to the awards ceremony!" Midnight cheered to excite the crowd again. "While both Aizawa and Himura were injured, Himura's injuries required more intensive treatment, meaning she won't be able to attend. For the presentation of the medals, we have~" She paused for suspense, and a sudden booming voice echoed over the stadium.
"I am here…with the medals!"
"Everyone's favorite hero, ALL MIGHT!" Midnight announced then let All Might take over for her after he seemed to appear out of thin air from his speed.
Making his way up to my pedestal, All Might showed his signature smile, "You truly are a little wildcard, young Aizawa! But letting the words of others affect you so much in battle is dangerous. You are strong in many ways. Your quirk is one of the most difficult to use since you must quickly master quirks that many spend lifetimes perfecting. Be confident in yourself." The blonde pro leaned over, placed the medal around my neck, and carefully wrapped me up in a hug while avoiding my burns. I muttered a quiet thank you to him as I returned the gesture.
He then moved to Todoroki, placing the medal around his neck, "In the last match and the match before, you held back and didn't use your left side. Was there a reason for that?"
The dual-haired teen looked emotionally drained, only saying that he thought he lost his way and that becoming a great hero like All Might wasn't enough anymore. There was apparently something else he had to settle first.
All Might hugged him too, but Todoroki stood limply in the awkward embrace.
He finally moved on to first place. "And finally young Bakugo! Um…well, isn't this a bit…too much?" He took the muzzle off of the blonde who immediately went on his rant.
"This win doesn't mean anything! It doesn't matter what anyone says. If I don't recognize it, then that medal's just garbage!" He seethed, murderous glare on full force.
All Might stood awkwardly for a second, before prattling off some stiff speech about being on top consistently, and he attempted to place the medal on the teen, only to be growled at. All Might, being tired of it, just placed the band for the medal in Katsuki's open mouth, and the teen clenched his teeth together, angrily gritting the fabric between them.
"Well, here are your winners! As you witnessed, everyone has the potential to be standing here! Competition! Encouragement! Pushing each other to climb higher and higher! These are the heroes of tomorrow! Let's have one final cheer!" He called out, only to say something different than the crowd.
I chuckled at his awkwardness, then looked to my soulmate that was still fuming. Gingerly climbing onto his pedestal, I took the medal from him, his glare dialing down significantly when he turned to me.
"What are you…" He grumbled at me, but I just rolled my eyes.
Standing on my tiptoes so I wouldn't strain my skin as much by reaching too far, I gently slid the band around his head, letting the medal come to rest on his chest. "I know you don't want it, but I feel like you would've won anyway. You're stubborn and strong enough to push through," I smiled warmly at him, noting the tiny blush happily, "Also…I wanted to tell you that I shouldn't have let my insecurities get the best of me in our fight. I feel like it made me less focused, and not give my all. I should've been better about it, but I really didn't want you to think I was weak, too."
He tsked at me, turning away as his cheeks turned even redder, "I didn't…mean it that way, so…whatever."
"I know that, especially now that my head is clearer," I smiled at him, "You seemed to want to fight on equal ground. Even if you don't directly say it, I know there's something on your mind along those lines."
Testing my luck, I patted his head with a cheeky grin only to jump away as he lunged at me with complaints despite his bright red face, and I laughed happily.
It would take a lot of work, but maybe we could work something out after all.
.
.
