Goddess Wink | Various!BNHA x Reader

08 ♡ win their hearts

The morning of the Sports Festival, your class was gathered in the waiting room, just minutes from entering the stadium.

Your chest was tight with anticipation. Your classmates were reacting in different ways—some of them were gathered around the tables, trying to chat and psyche each other up; others were quieter and more withdrawn, and then there were those whose anxiety and nerves were clear as day. The freckled boy fit into the latter category.

You smiled reassuringly. "It's okay to be nervous, Izuku-kun."

"N-N-Nervous is an understatement!" he squeaked, placing a palm over his chest and trying to calm his breathing. "Even though I knew this day was coming, there's just no way I could've fully prepared myself...!"

"I'm sure it'll be okay. It'll probably be a little overwhelming at the beginning, but once we get going you'll be so focused on the task at hand that you'll have forgotten all about the crowd."

"I-I sure hope so..."

You gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. Izuku blushed, and for a moment, it looked like he'd forgotten his pre-stage jitters. You spotted Katsuki sitting at one of the tables and smiled at him. His eyes met yours, briefly, and then they fell to the hand resting on Izuku's shoulder and immediately narrowed. He looked away without acknowledging you, which you'd pretty much expected.

"Midoriya."

During your little pep-talk, one of your other classmates had walked up to you. Todoroki Shouto. You'd never really talked to him before, and what you knew about his Quirk you'd only heard from others, but he was one of the strongest in the class.

"Yes?" Izuku blinked. "What is it, Todoroki-kun?"

"Looking at it objectively, I think I'm above you in terms of practical strength."

"What? Ah, um—"

"You've managed to get All Might's eyes on you," Shouto continued. "While it's not in my place to pry into that, I wanted to make one thing clear. I'm going to beat you."

It was a strange situation. Shouto hardly ever spoke to anyone, at least not from what you'd witnessed over the past two weeks, so to see him stroll right up to Izuku and declare war was surprising to say the least. It was also a bit rude. Sure, it was fine to have confidence in his strength, but to tell Izuku that he was above him?

"This might be a little unnecessary," you spoke up, lightly pulling Shouto back by the sleeve of his training jacket. "We're all feeling pretty nervous, Izuku-kun included. I know we're technically rivals as soon as we step out there, but we may as well try to keep things civil, right?"

Shouto looked back at you over his shoulder. It was your first time being so close to him, and you'd never realized just how cold his eyes truly were.

"I didn't come here to make friends," he glared, pushing your hand away.

You felt your temples throb. A small part of you was tempted to charm him right on the spot and make him apologize to both Izuku and yourself, but then there'd have been no point in you hiding your Quirk this long.

"It's fine, [Name]-chan." Izuku clenched his fists together. "I definitely do think you're stronger than me, Todoroki-kun. I mean, the vast majority of people are probably no match for you, but still... everyone—even kids from the other department are going at this with all their might. I... I can't afford to let myself fall behind the rest." He furrowed his brows, eyes bright and resolute. "That's why I'm going to do my best, too!"

Shouto narrowed his eyes. "I see." He turned and walked away, leaving a crowd of wide-eyed students in his wake. The signal to enter the stadium had begun to go off. There wasn't anything left to say, or any time to do so, but you couldn't help but smile at your friend.