Chapter Text
A HEROINE FOR A HERO
〖 Prelude 〗
The Meddlesome Eyebrow Hag
"I surrender."
He stared after her, wide red eyes never moving from her back as she walked away from him.
The arena roared as they announced his victory but he couldn't hear a thing.
H is throbbing heart, his rage, and the words she just said were the only things he was aware of.
His fists shook. She had said the words without a second thought, looking perfectly content with that same damn smile.
'This bitch…'
She grates his nerves much like how Deku does.
She was annoying—table-flippin' and teeth-grindingly so with her perpetual little smile. And yet, everybody seemed to love her. Always fawning over how nice she was or at how pretty or how damn fucking angelic she was. It was unbelievable how everyone was actually stupid enough not suspect anything beyond what she shows them.
But he knew better.
After all, what kind of person manages to smile easily even when facing a literal walking bomb like himself and still look like she's having a damn promenade? Forget about being a hero in the works, she didn't even flinch or get flustered, or look even a little intimidated by him.
Such preternatural composure wasn't normal.
It was a façade, a front. And he could tell…
She was hiding something. And simply put, he hated her.
Yet it was a different sensation entirely.
This girl whose expression never seemed to change, who never tires of displaying a soft smile…
This bitch was something else.
He recalls the day they first met. The first day of class, the budding of spring.
He remembers how much of a shitfest that day had been when he learned he was once again stuck in the same class as Deku for the umpteenth time in a decade. Even worst, the Quirkless freckled-fuck was actually NOT Quirkless, and everything went downhill from there.
He got his own ass reprimanded by their homeroom teacher, got humiliated in front of the entire class, and to top it all off this girl who reeks of apples shows up, completely disregards the fact that the road to becoming a Top Hero was a competition, and promptly butts her nose into his business!
Suffice to say, she was the cherry on top of a perfectly cluster fucked day.
And it was just the beginning.
He never really expected much from her, like how he never really expected much from all of them. But she stuck out like a sore thumb in his eyes, a meddlesome thick-browed bitch who seemed to have a thing for Deku—motherfucking Deku—of all people!
She was a plague he didn't want anywhere near. Yet at the same time, he was eager to put her in her place.
And now he finally had his chance.
She was no less than a threat as she was an annoyance. Her quirk with its versatility might've been on par with his own, but he was confident he would never lose to her and her half-assed ambition.
But never had he thought he would see a whole different side to her. A side he was confident she'd never shown to anyone before.
His right cheek tingled and stung, and he tried not to think about how nearly ethereal she looked when her crystallized shards fell all around her like sparkling rain.
And those eyes…
In that moment his blood felt like fire in his veins, a feral grin splitting across his face as he saw how her eyes weren't that of a placid monotone anymore.
The irritating little smile she always wore disappeared, and now she was finally going to fight back with everything she had.
But it didn't matter. He was going to take them down, the best of the best, one by one and take the number one spot for himself.
Oh how he couldn't wait to break her then, to bruise her, to make her never forget how terrifyingly strong he really is when he conquers her at her full power.
She was just another stepping stone.
He set upon her with no holds barred, a beast unleashed.
And she responded in kind, a tigress unrestrained.
They clashed, exchanged blows, shared the same maniacal smile that would only ever show when feeling that distinct joy of a heated battle, the adrenaline making him laugh. They didn't even realize how they were barely using their Quirks anymore. Just lashing and countering, giving and taking with everything they've got.
They fought and parried until they eventually ran out of stamina.
It was a draw.
If he was going to be completely honest with himself, he was amazed at the outcome. To think that she actually exceeded his expectations, or lack thereof.
It was supposed to be settled with a good ole arm wrestle. Boring, but it had to be done. Someone had to be the winner and he was going to show her no mercy when he breaks that slender arm of hers into submission.
He was still on high from their heated battle, the fierce grin never leaving his face even as he panted for breath. And he could tell, from the way her chest rose and fell for air, to her still gleaming eyes, that she felt the same.
But then she suddenly regained her composure. One blink was all it took for her to shatter their perfectly warped world of power.
And when she said those words still ringing in his head, he felt something shatter inside of him. Looking back it was probably his expression when he gaped at her with unveiled disbelief. He could only watch as she left the stage they were in, his heart beating hard with frustrated thrumming.
Unacceptable.
He wouldn't let it end just like that, with her pulling him into her pace much like what she did to everyone else.
"Stop…Stop right there! DON'T YOU FUCKING WALK AWAY!"
She turned around with a confused, expectant stare.
"Where…the hell do you think…you're going? It's not over yet!"
"But it already is," she replied. "I've already surrendered, it's your win."
"DON'T GIVE ME THAT! What? So in the end you're just gonna run away!?"
He saw her mouth twitch but other than that, she showed no other signs of giving him what he wanted. Instead her eyes and lips softened, her body giving off the same placid vibe he worked to break only for her to restore in the blink of an eye.
"I told you right from the start, didn't I? I'm not really in it for the top spot, but I did manage to get this far and that's enough for me."
She bowed and his eyes widened, her frame bending gracefully for a good five seconds before she straightened back up to look at him with a different kind of smile on her battle-ridden, and yet somehow completely radiant face.
In just that moment it wasn't the same one she always wore. He could see now that it was one of self-consciousness, of alarm, of wonder, and…
Tenderness?
He was paralyzed. And all of a sudden it felt like all of his rage was about to be overwhelmed by something else—something warm but disconcerting, an unexplainable feeling emanating from her.
"Thank you, Bakugou-kun. It was fun, but I have to go now. I'll be rooting for you in your next battle!"
And then she turned and left completely, leaving him stunned as she disappeared into the shadows.
In the end, she turned back into the ambitionless background bitch that she was, and it absolutely pissed him off at how she caught him off guard twice in less than an hour despite being an unresolved eyebrow hag who was even worse than Deku. The nerd would've fought him with everything he had until the very end no matter how hopeless his shot at victory might be. Hell, even that small gravity bitch fought him till she dropped.
But this hag? She gave up like it was nothing. Like it didn't matter a damn thing to her.
Like it didn't matter a damn thing to him.
"What…the fuck…?"
She left, just like that.
His hardened fist came down on the ground before his feet, tiny explosions crackling out to create a smoking crater.
"GET BACK HERE, YOU SHITTY EYEBROW HAAAAAG!"
Her submission to defeat no doubt left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he could only hope his anticipation for the next fight would make him forget.
Because for now, he walked away from the stage a victor—however untriumphant—and that's all that mattered.
Because she doesn't matter.
For now.
I keep a sinister smile and a hole in my heart
you want to get inside, t hen you can get in line
but not this time
(hero/heroine by boys like girls)