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Izuku does his very best to hide the hand tremors he's been having in the days leading up to the sports festival. It's dumb luck that wringing his hand together happens to be one of his stims, so no one seems to notice. Not even Shinsou. His tentative new friend that seems to be keeping an eye on him. They haven't really talked much outside of training since his little migraine episode, but Izuku gets the feeling that the purple eyed teen has been observing him.
Izuku would typically be a bit peeved about the apparent worry that he seemed to be showing - he’s sensitive to hovering. Though, he gets the distinctive feeling that the worry isn't anything like his mom’s. Shinsou gives off more of a kindred spirit kind of care that somehow doesn’t feel like pitty. Unfortunately, shinsou has proven to be a rather reserved person like izuku, so neither of them have managed to bridge that gap between acquaintances to friend.
It's a bummer that they are now opponents at their first UA Sports Festival. As they both stand at attention, across from each other, Izuku knows that Sinsou has something to prove. Not only can he see it on the other teen’s face, but he has a pretty good idea of his story.
Izuku’s fascination with the other teen’s incredible quirk has led to more than one analysis session. Shinsou is trying to make his way in an industry that favors flashy, combative quirks with a power that is entirely in the mind. No matter how proficient at hand to hand combat he is, it will always be hard to get noticed by agencies with his quirk. Regardless of if he’s more than likely going underground like Aizawa-Sensei. Which is a shame because it is one of the most useful quirks izuku has ever seen and he wants so badly to learn more about that power of his. To dissect it and work out all its applications.
“What? Got nothing to say to me, wonder boy?” Shinsou geers from his end of the arena spreading his arms wide as if inviting izuku to make a move.
He's baiting Izuku and they both know it. They have been classmates for weeks. Meaning that even though Shinsou managed to keep it under wraps from the other classes for the first two events Izuku knows the other boy’s quirk activation. This also means that Shinsou knows that Izuku can't use his quirk without breaking a bone. Izuku would bet money that Shinsou already knows that he is going to avoid using it on him to save it for a more combative opponent. It’s not a slight against the taller teen’s capabilities; it is simply strategy. Izuku hopes he understands that and doesn't take offense.
“Oh, I get it! Wonder boy over here thinks he's too good to fight a freak like me, huh?” Shinsou yells across the field as he begins to circle Izuku without actually getting any closer to him. Izuku has to bite his tongue at that one. He still wants to see Izuku make the first move. They both know this will more than likely come down to a quirkless spar and shinsou has the advantage in that.
That's not what I think at all! He's just trying to hurt your feelings. Don't give in, Izuku! Don't answer him!
Shinsou finally takes the first steps to close the gap between them. Izuku finally drops into a fighting stance in anticipation for the real fight to begin.
Shinsou’s face is set in a sneer as he says, “ya’ know? You brats with the flashy quirks are all the same! Your whole life being told how great you are, what a strong a hero you'll be someday, right? Life must have been so fucking easy for you growing up, huh wonder boy?” His hands are clenched tightly now as he stares Izuku right in the eyes making him want to squirm.
If only you knew.
Don't let him get under your skin
Realizing that the match was beginning to drag on, he decided to go ahead and make the first move to get things going. His best bet was being fast and solid to take out his taller, more experienced opponent before he could gain the upper hand.
Shinsou easily dodged out of his first blow with a smooth sidestep. He swiftly rounds on the green haired teen with a sharp kick to the back of the knees causing Izuku to fall to the ground. Firm hands began wrapping their way around Izuku's arms and upper body from behind. He simply couldn't get locked into any kind of hold if he wanted to stand a chance. He reached up and tightened his hands around Shinsou’s arm and bodily threw him forward over his shoulder. Shinsou grunts as the wind is knocked out of him.
After quickly getting over his shock at the effectiveness of the improvised move, Izuku threw himself on top of Shinsou in an attempt to pin him. While Izuku was much shorter than the other teen, he had spent months building up muscle in preparation for receiving One for All. He was much heavier than his short stature made him appear.
It happened so fast. Shinsou was struggling to get Izuku off of him with everything that he had. The smaller teen could see Shinsous face morph in panic at the exact moment he realized that he was about to lose.
With a desperate snarl the purple eyed teen spat, “What do you think everyone would say if they found out how weak you actually were? All that flash and nothing to show for it, right Midoriya? Just some broken bones and migraines, am I right?”
For the first time in a very long time Izuku saw red before everything faded away into calming nothing.
=========================
Before he knew it Izuku found himself with a Recovery Girl getting his fingers healed after breaking out of Shinsou’s quirk and winning the match. He is going to have to have a conversation with All Might about the bizarre vision he saw leading up to activating One for All. There was no point dwelling on it now though; he needed to gather his strength for his next fight.
Somehow it doesn't feel like winning
Izuku had thought that Shinsou might have actually liked him. He had helped him the other day with the migraine. Showed him his secret napping spot. Kept his secret from the adult with very little pleading on Izuku’s part. Izuku had thought that he somehow understood him, but he guessed he was wrong.
Weak
His hands were shaking again and not just the one that he had hurt.
He should have expected this. He had been so useless at the USJ -- literally fainted into the other teens arms. Then to come across Izuku stumbling around with a debilitating migraine had to have solidified it. Izuku wouldn't be surprised if he noticed the hand tremors with how carefully his desk neighbor had been watching him.
It's a bummer really. Izuku wanted to be the purple haired boy's friend, but he wasn’t so sure that was possible now. A part of him recognized the desperation and determination in the lavender eyed teens face right before those words flew from his lips. A part of him hoped that Shinsou didn't really feel that way about Izuku and just wanted to win by any means necessary. A part of him still hoped they could be friends eventually.
After being cleared for the next match, Izuku decided to go grab a snack from the green room. The halls of the arena are confusing to navigate. He is backtracking for the second time when he rounds the corner and nearly faceplants directly onto someone.
“Oh my god, I'm so sorry!” Izuku immediately apologizes as he quickly steps out of their personal space. When he looks up at the taller person and is horrified to see it's his scary homeroom teacher.
“Its fine, Midoriya,” Aizawa-Sensei mutters through the still present bandages. Izuku distantly wonders when his teacher will be fully healed. “I was actually go about to go check up on you,” he says
“Oh… uh I'm all good now. Recovery Girl took care of it! I was just on my way to pick up a snack,” Izuku nervously reassured his teacher. Even wiggling his previously injured fingers to prove it to Aizawa-Sensei. He was uncomfortable with the idea of a teacher worrying about him.
“Right…by the way, Shinsou Hitoshi is looking for you”
Looking for me? Why would he be looking for me? Did he want to confront me about beating him?
“I told him to just wait in your class’s box seats for you to come back,” the bandaged covered man said casually.
“Uh…”
Aizawa-Sensei surprised Izuku by placing a calloused hand atop his unruly curls causing his shoulders to tense up to his ears; very much not used to casual physical touch. His teacher seemed to notice and muttered an apology as he removed his hand. Izuku remained curled in on himself.
“Don't look so worried, Kid. I was under the impression he was concerned about you or something,” he muttered tiredly. His words somehow releasing the tension in Izuku’s body -- except for the tremors in his hands. He quickly shoved them in his pockets before his teacher could see.
“Okay. i'll um… go talk to him”
=================
“I wanted to say I'm sorry, Midoriya.”
Izuku just stared at his strange classmate standing in front of him in one of the empty green rooms. With his face twisted incredulously he responded with, “you’re sorry? I'm the one that …uh beat you . I eliminated You from the tournament. If anything i should say sorry to you .”
The purple haired teen shook his head at the ground disbelievingly. “Not at all, Midoriya. It’s a tournament. Someone has to lose and I lost fair and square. There is nothing you need to be sorry for,” he insisted. He rested his right hand on the back of his neck and shifted his lavender eyes to Izuku’s. Figuring that this was important, Izuku did his best to maintain eye contact.
“I want to apologize for what I said to you to snag you in my quirk,” Shinsou stated firmly. “It was fucked up to call you weak or call you out on something that you have no control over like migraines. I don't think you are weak at all and after being your classmate for the last few weeks I'm pretty confident you are not an asshole like most kids with flashy quirks are. If anything, I'm the asshole for using such a low blow on a classmate that I was actually hoping to be friends with. I don't know you or your story and it was wrong of me to make assumptions. I was just so desperate to beat you that I let that bitter part of myself get the better of me.”
Izuku was stunned. The only classmate to ever apologize to him was Kachan and he didn't even have the emotional IQ to actually say the words. He has always done it through action in ways only his closest friends and family would understand. Here Shinsou was standing before Izuku and actually apologizing for the specific mean things he had said to him in the match. And he was doing it with such sincerity. Izuku almost didn't know what to say.
Ouch
Izuku flinched. He hadn't even realized that he had been scratching at the bend of his elbow anxiously. “Oh shit, are you okay?” Shinsou said in surprise.
“Oh no its okay im fine!” Izuku quickly insisted. “I just got carried away…if I'm honest, I’m actually kind of surprised,” said as Shinsou’s face seemed to fall, dejected.
Izuku elaborated more to spare him the discomfort, “It has nothing to do with you specifically! Not at all, I actually though -think That you are a really nice person. Especially after you helped me with my migraine and showed me your secret napping spot and didn't tell on me to Recovery Girl and with how you stook up for Kaminari when he short circuited and Kachan was mean about it…” Izuku was rambling now, still scratching at his arm, and he desperately needed to get to the point if the confused look on Shinsou’s face had anything to say about it. “My point is, I'm not surprised you were nice enough to say sorry. I'm surprised anyone would say sorry to me, specifically. Especially someone who has seen what a mess I can be," Izuku finished almost sadly.
He finally works up the courage to look up again to gauge the taller teen’s reaction. To Izuku’s embarrassment, Shinsou seemed to be analyzing the shorter boy in a similar way he had been since the migraine incident. Like he is trying to figure him out just by watching him. He appeared concerned and Izuku didn't know how he felt about that.
“Well, I don't know your story, but I get the vibe that you’ve gone through some shit. You obviously aren't obligated to explain any of that to me, but I…I have too, ya’know? I just needed to apologize for making you feel the way I've been made to feel before. I hope that you can accept it," Shinsou finished looking Izuku in the face to convey his genuineness.
In all honesty, Izuku had already decided he was going to forgive Shinsou eventually whether or not he apologized for the jabs. It may or may not be a character flaw, but Izuku was a rather forgiving person. Though, Kachan would probably say too forgiving. While what Shinsou said did hurt, a part of him never believed it was in malice. He was glad that that small part was right. He’s glad that the boy with the wild lavender hair ended up being as nice as Izuku initially hoped.
A bright and rosy smile lit up Izuku's face. “Of course I forgive you Shinsou! It really, truly means a lot that you talked to me. I hope…I hope we can be friends!”
The taller teen looked taken aback before sputtering, “Really? You wanna be friends with an asshole like me? Even after I insulted you on live television?” A faint dusting of pink was spreading across his pale cheeks highlighting his seemingly ever present eyebags.
“Well when you put it that way,” Izuku pretends to contemplate for a moment in an attempt at a sarcastic joke. “I’d love to be your friend Shinsou-kun!” he declared with the most genuine smile he could muster.
Shinsou looked rather shocked for a long moment before finally cracking a smile, “If me and that Bakugo kid represent your standard for friendship, we might have to work on your standards, Wonder Boy. At least you have Uraraka and Mr.Uptight to balance us out, huh?”
Izuku took that as a yes, so Izuku gestured for the other teen to follow him back out to the box seats with a smile still on his face. “Hey, he may not look it but Kachan is an absolute softie once he gets to know you,” Izuku insisted to his brand new friend. His scratched up arm forgotten.
“I'll believe it when I see it, Wonder Boy.”