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"The hell, dude?"
Takeo barely has time to grab the bag of chips thrown at his head before they smack him in the face. Matsumoto snorts, waving a few ridiculously long fingers in Takeo's direction.
"You caught 'em, didn't you?"
Takeo grunts and grumbles a little, popping open the chips and shoving a handful in his mouth. Matsumoto plops down on the couch beside him, taking a long drink from the can in his hand, feet propped against the low table.
"It's gonna be weird watching the first years," he says between sips. Takeo hums in agreement. Present Mic cheerfully babbles about the history of the sports festival as the camera pans across the heroic arrivals creeping into the stands. A small graphic shows their names as though all the viewers wouldn't already know who they were.
Usually they watched the third years, a tradition started around the last year of elementary. Tsubasa, before he left, was part of the crew before they had started attending Aldera Junior High.
The two of them had always invited Bakugou, but the prickly bastard had always turned them down. The only one not here was Watanabe, but he’d found a girlfriend.
"You think he'd care that we were watching?" Matsumoto shifts. He’s obviously talking about Bakugou.
Takeo glances over and snorts, "No way, I don't even think he'd remember us!"
Matsumoto rolls his eyes, but tellingly doesn't disagree.
The sports festival has moved on to sponsors rambling about product placements in between shots of the faculty setting up. No different than the third year competitions, so far. Matsumoto leans forward.
"Hey, Takeo...the rumors about Midoriya, think he's actually at UA?"
He startles at the question, teeth sharpening involuntarily and making an absolute mess of the chips in his mouth. The rumors Matsumoto mentioned had started to creep around when both Bakugou and Midoriya had been called to the office after the UA exam results were posted. Neither boy had mentioned anything about it, but that hadn't stopped the speculation.
Takeo wipes away the crumbs from his mouth, thinking.
"Probably. Midoriya seemed way too happy. But you know, they have to get those diversity points somewhere."
Matsumoto nods. "That makes sense. As delusional as he was, Midoriya had good grades at least. And, really, what other quirkless bastard would try?"
"Sucks that they don't focus on Gen Ed students getting crushed."
A wet snort rings out, Matsumoto almost snorting soda out of his nose. "I'm sure they wouldn't even let him compete! Though I’d pay to see his face—"
Takeo interrupts, noticing Midnight hopping on the stage. "Oh shit, it's starting!" He snatches the remote and pumps up the volume. Bakugou ends up as the representative, to no surprise.
"Wow," Matsumoto chuckles, "He really hasn't changed at all, has he?"
Takeo huffs, amused. It wasn't like he was dumb enough to believe that Bakugou was actually his friend, unlike Midoriya, but to be able to say that he knew the guy when he was young, that was gonna be worth something someday.
And just like that the events start out with a bang.
"Wow, UA really is plus ultra," Matsumoto mumbles as the giant robots make an appearance. The display of power is crazy. He’s only distracted by Present Mic finally starting with the commentary.
"Man! I forgot they already fought villains." Matsumoto almost vibrates beside him.
He’s barely on the edge of the couch, gripping his knees, fingers practically reaching his ankles.
The cameras switch between the students and Takeo can understand the appeal of the first years' contest. A noticeable difference exists between 1A and the rest of the school.
He doesn't know any of these people, they haven't made any sort of name for themselves in internships or work study yet. It's an almost private feeling, of knowing heroes before they're actually branded.
"Hey," Matsumoto starts, "Is that—"
Takeo refocuses on the screen.
Midoriya is there. Green hair, freckles, decked out in UA's gym clothes and holding a piece of robot almost as big as himself. The camera flicks away after the short shot, but Takeo feels breathless. "Is he actually insane?"
The camera’s focus is back at the front of the pack showing a kid with split colored hair and Bakugou, almost neck to neck.
"Trust Bakugou to show up the entire school," Matsumoto says, but the words feel like an afterthought.
For some reason, Takeo can't stop thinking about Midoriya, and he wonders if Matsumoto is any different. Midoriya may have been an annoying, crazy, cockroach of a person, but it isn't like either of them want him to die. Why UA hadn't simply just forced him to sit aside is a mystery. It's not like he could do anything.
Then, a giant explosion. The two teenagers startle as the cameras swing over the sea of scrambling students. Present Mic's voice, booming loudly over the shock-waves, yells a name.
"Did he just say Midoriya—"
And it is Midoriya, riding on that giant piece of robot scrap, flying into the lead ahead of Bakugou and the other kid, who Present Mic calls Todoroki.
Takeo's teeth have sharpened in his jaws, digging into his lip. It's only years of practice that keeps them from piercing through.
Midoriya is falling now and the lunatic hits the ground for another explosion, blasting the two powerhouses back and suddenly the three of them are out of sight, in the finishing tunnel.
And of course, in that paralyzing second, it's Midoriya who runs out first, cheering and shouting lighting up the stadium while the crowd loses its mind.
"...Bakugou is going to kill him," Matsumoto croaks.
"Does that asshole have a death wish?" Takeo can't help but blurt out before freezing. Matsumoto and he must be thinking the same thing, as the other boy's fingers twist over and over.
"Do you think—"
"No," Takeo shakes his head roughly, "No way. Midoriya has always been a crazy weirdo, so this was just— just luck. It's not like he used anything."
There's a beat of silence in the room between them, broken only by Midnight's explanation of the next event. Takeo is trying hard not to think of those last few months of middle school, after Bakugou had crossed the line. Where Midoriya had scuttled out of class first, when usually he'd stay behind. Midoriya fell asleep at his desk, looking exhausted every single day. And here he is, winning the first damn event. What the hell?
"You...you think they'll kick him out now?" Matsumoto asks, as they watch the students mill about on screen, choosing their groups for the cavalry battle.
Takeo shakes off his unease. “I mean, probably not? It’s a team thing. But he’s gonna drag them down.” Matsumoto mutters something in agreement and the silence stretches awkwardly again.
Midnight does let Midoriya continue on. The sweep of the camera lingers on him for a minute, zooming in on the ten million point headband he’s just put on. He looks scared as shit, per usual.
"He better hope the others on the team have good quirks," says Takeo, his hand clenched over the chip bag. Matsumoto leans forward, eyes glued to the television.
Midoriya passes all expectations, surprisingly. The quirks (and support gear? Now that the battle has started the cameras have panned out, so it's a little hard to tell) his team members are flying them around. They even successfully fend off an attack from Bakugou, who, the absolutely crazy bastard, jumps into the air with seemingly no game plan. That is until his teammate grabs him with some sort of string or tape.
Then Present Mic announces that Team Bakugou is at the bottom, the camera swinging to focus on some other blond snatching his headband away.
Matsumoto laughs. "Well, at least that poor fucker gave Midoriya more of a chance."
Both of them know the other blond is about to get the full wrath of Bakugou, which saves Midoriya, at least.
Takeo doesn't know if the other is cheering for Midoriya, doesn't know if deep down inside he is actually cheering for freaking Deku. He never has really been the type to root for the underdog in these sorts of events.
But Midoriya isn't that same scrawny, weak-ass nerd from Junior High. He's more muscular and even from the distance of the camera it's easy to tell. There is no fear on his face, no worry. Just strong determination, the line of his shoulders straight.
This Midoriya is nothing like the Midoriya that Takeo pushed around.
This Midoriya is indistinguishable from a hero student.
His stomach twists tightly at the thought.
"TPK!" Shrieks Matsumoto suddenly, startling the chips right out of Takeo's hands.
"The fuck?"
"Look at Endeavor's kid's team! The electric dude wiped all the teams out and then they got frozen!"
Takeo hadn’t even put together that Todoroki was from that kind of lineage. What Matsumoto is saying is true, though. The bird guy on Midoriya's team managed to block it. It's just him against Endeavor's kid. The camera flashes briefly to Bakugou. The other blond dude has a copy quirk, from what Takeo can tell, as flashy explosions come from both sides. It looks so interesting. The camera, though, drags itself back to the face off for the ten million.
Five minutes left and Midoriya still has the damn headband.
Suddenly, the other team is on the other side of the ring of ice, Midoriya's headband in hand.
Matsumoto lets out a whoop as Present Mic announces the switch. Takeo can't decipher his feelings. He should be happy that the kid with the legacy and the powerful quirk has won.
Takeo spent all those years pushing Midoriya down and now he suddenly wants him to succeed against the odds now? What the fuck is wrong with him?
The screen shifts to Bakugou, flying through the air again before he hits a wall. Despite this, a mere quirk doesn’t stop him and he snatches his headbands back from the copycat.
"We're nearing the end of the game!" Present Mic yells, and Takeo digs his fingers into his thighs.
Midoriya is without a headband, as expected…
But that doesn't last, Endeavor's kid and Midoriya go face to face again, Midoriya keen on not giving up. The cameras are having difficulty and it's difficult to tell what's going on. Ice covers the ring, the groups scrabbling inward. The cameras dance around, but the mass of bodies block the view.
Over the clamor Present Mic's loud countdown is clear of the commotion of the cavalry battle.
The dust clears enough to get a good shot of Bakugou landing on his face right as the countdown ends. Takeo snorts, resisting the urge to look around. Bakugou is on screen right now and not around to loom threateningly about his appearance.
Matsumoto must be on the same page, because he laughs so hard he almost falls off of the couch.
The winners start being announced and Takeo stifles his amusement. Todoroki is first, of course. Bakugou second, which also isn't a surprise.
"Who the hell is Shinsou?" Matsumoto asks, confused. The camera pans to a wild purple haired kid and Takeo shrugs.
"I guess he was getting the stragglers while everyone was after the big points? Whatever, if his quirk wasn't good, he wouldn't have made it."
Matsumoto nods at that, turning back to the screen. Taeko expects maybe the group with the mutant arm kid or the air wall one to win.
He isn't expecting what comes out of Present Mic’s mouth.
"In fourth— Team Midoriya!"
Takeo spits out a chip.
"Again!?" Matsumoto yells, standing up. The camera pans and sure enough it's Midoriya's group. The three other kids stand around him while he cries.
"I mean..." Takeo says, "He did have help from the other's quirks? Flying and shadow powers are pretty good."
Matsumoto flops back down, arms crossed angrily. Takeo doesn't really know what else to say. Midoriya made it to the third round, unheard of for most non-hero students, which Midoriya somehow is. The world tips on its side for a second, Takeo trying to hold onto it the best he can.
"At least he'll get his ass kicked this round," Matsumoto grumbles, "There's no way his tricks will work on the one on one."
Takeo nods, certain of this at least. Midoriya was always clever, so it makes sense that he's managed to rig the system so far. But on opponents with quirks head to head? There's no way a quirkless boy could ever stand a chance.
The foreign cheerleaders on screen do their routine and Matsumoto heads into the kitchen for more snacks. He tosses a drink that Takeo barely catches and gets a smug look when it fumbles in his hand.
"Asshole."
Matsumoto sticks his tongue out, settling back in.
"Are the brackets out yet?"
"Nah," Takeo says, popping open the top of his soda, "Midnight is getting the lots ready."
The camera pans on her ass for a minute, which he can appreciate, but the fan service is interrupted by the tail kid asking to drop out.
"That's so weird."
There's no sound but another kid also drops out, this time the real short one. After some shuffling the lots are finally drawn and the billboard lights up with the names, the camera lingering.
Matsumoto laughs.
"Poor loser has to go first, you know they're out for him with that."
The line up is Midoriya versus the Shinsou guy. Takeo can't see Midoriya lasting long, even if he doesn't know Shinsou's quirk.
Another break sets in, this time with the rest of the students doing games. Honestly, Takeo understands that they need time to set up the arena, but these are always the most boring parts. The cheerleaders at least looked good.
Finally, Present Mic's voice rings out and the tourney stage is revealed.
"This isn't gonna last long," Matsumoto sighs, stretching.
"The first match!" Present Mic cries, "Making a weird face despite his excellent performance, It's Midoriya Izuku from the hero course!"
"He really is in the hero course?" Takeo yelps.
"Versus..." Present Mic continues, like a quirkless kid in the hero course is nothing. "Sorry, but this guy hasn’t done anything outstanding yet! It's Shinsou Hitoshi from general studies!"
"And he's in general studies?" Matsumoto shouts. The confusion that threads through the room is palpable, but Takeo doesn't have any answers.
Present Mic continues with the rules which are nothing different from last year. The match starts.
Midoriya runs forward at go, surprising Takeo. The Midoriya he knew would rather cower on a one on one, no matter how much he'd run to interfere on the behalf of others.
But then—
He freezes.
"What?" Takeo whispers, confused. None of this sports festival has made any sort of sense and it's clear it's not about to.
Then Present Mic shouts about the freezing being part of Shinsou's quirk. There’s no microphones on the field so neither of them could hear the two talking. At least things are a little less confusing.
"Mind control?" Matsumoto says as Midoirya turns away and starts to walk out of the ring, "That's pretty villainous."
Midoirya looks so blank walking out of the ring; what a truly frightening quirk.
Takeo nods. "At least this proves he's not cut out to be a hero, yeah," Takeo replies, relieved, "First sign of trouble in a fight and he flakes."
That is, until Midoriya stops right at the edge, camera zooming in on his blank face. Shinsou looks confused and Present Mic sounds barely any better. Then a huge blast of air and dust kicks up on the field. The crowd sounds confused. There's no telling what actually happened, but Midoriya is in the center of it.
The dust clears around Midoriya and there is a pause when neither combatant does anything. Takeo notices that Midoriya is cradling his hand for some reason, but he’s running towards Shinsou before the camera can do anything.
“What—!”
The two are grappling, blows raining down from the both of them.
And then, Midoriya throws Shinsou out of the ring.
Takeo gasps.
“Midoriya Izuku moves on to the second round!”
Matsumoto drops his snacks.
Midoriya and Shinsou stroll off as the teachers keep babbling about something.
“I don’t…what happened?” Matsumoto stutters, frowning. Takeo understands, because this is so far from what should be happening, it’s not even funny.
But, thinking back…
Takeo bites his lip. “Midoriya just fought him, right?” There was that weird explosion, but Takeo can’t figure out what that was all about. Maybe a teacher spicing things up? All of this is so weird.
Matsumoto nods though. “No, no, you’re right. He just learned to fight from someone, obviously. But once the guys with actual heroic quirks come out…he’s getting smashed into the ground.”
A nasty little smirk crosses his face. Takeo, though, he’s still nervous, for some reason.
A new match up is announced. The guy with tape and Todoroki, huh? Takeo finally relaxes. People with actual quirks.
And in a second an iceberg appears. It’s scary as hell and Matsumoto is back to gawping.
Even so, such a powerful quirk proves that Midoriya isn’t going to make it that far. He just kept getting lucky. Takeo isn’t sure why he’s still on his mind, but the reassuring thoughts don’t stop.
“Damn that was fast!” Matsumoto cheers.
The next few matches go by as mostly usual (the support girl is pretty funny, but it does make Takeo extra sure there’s some level of script writing by the teachers. Why else would they let all of that happen? Midoriya’s obviously some sort of underdog thing.)
It’s nice. It’s like every other sports festival he’s watched with Matsumoto before, and he’s firmly in the mood when it’s finally Bakugou’s turn.
The girl he’s fighting is the flying one on Midoriya’s second round team.
Takeo doesn’t think she has a chance, not when Bakugou’s the one fighting her. He never goes easy on anyone.
He is, however, impressed when she bolts forward and gets an explosion to the face, only to try the same thing again. It’s obvious her flying power is touch-based and she’s clever and tough enough to make Bakugou happy.
It’s a little hard to tell, but Takeo was trailing the guy since elementary school. The match is exciting, and Bakugou’s in full form. The girl is taking hits like a champ too. The fight is a proper sports festival fight and all the tension starts to melt away from the both of them as it goes on.
“Hell yeah!” Matsumoto cheers when the girl falls. Bakugou looks put out by it, which makes sense. Guy always loved a good fight and hadn’t been able to use his quirk the way he could here.
“Like there was any doubt,” Takeo snorts, standing and stretching as the program takes a quick break.
“Yeah, yeah. Of course. Fun, though.”
“You can say that again.”
Matsumoto wanders off to the kitchen to bring back some more snacks. The next few fights aren’t near as exciting as the previous ones. Some interesting people to look out for, sure, but nothing he’s going to be chatting about with anyone tomorrow.
Then, it’s Midoriya again. The tension creeps back up his shoulders. Matsumoto is uncharacteristically silent.
“Todoroki?” Takeo asks, looking at the matchup on screen.
“Damn, you really have to feel sorry for him.” Matsumoto says, frowning. Takeo doesn’t disagree. Todoroki had turned the last kid he was against into an iceberg. Even if Midoriya suddenly knows how to fight, he’s not going to be able to do shit against that.
The fighters line up. Takeo’s hand clenches around his soda.
And sure enough once the fight starts a wave of ice careens toward Midoriya. Takeo winces. At least it’s the kinda situation Midoriya can feel good about losing. It’s not like most people would be able to—
“A quirk!?” Matsumoto spits soda all over the carpet. Takeo isn’t much better. Midoriya had flicked a finger and a blast of pressure had come out, obliterating the ice into shards across the field.
Another one comes quickly, before either of them can get their bearings. The camera finally focuses in on Midoriya’s hand, where his fingers looked mangled.
“W-what?” Takeo barely realizes he’s talking. “Was he lying or—”
Midoriya smashes another wave of ice. Matsumoto seems to be chanting a soft ‘what the fuck’ under his breath over and over again. None of the announcers or heroes or students even seem to be surprised by this.
It’s hard to see what’s going on now that the two combatants are close. Rubble and ice cover the stage. It’s very similar to what was going on with Shinsou though, which means the brief explosion must’ve been Midoriya’s quirk.
Mastumoto hisses through his teeth. “What the fuck.”
The two have stopped fighting.
Midoriya’s left arm looks destroyed. It’s bruised almost black, the cameras managing to catch the way it swings awkwardly. Not that his right side is doing much better. His fingers aren’t bending right. The way they twitch has Takeo glancing away as nausea builds in his stomach.
And then Midoriya breaks his goddamn fingers again.
Takeo whimpers.
Todoroki looks terrible too, with the way he’s been blasted into his own ice across the stage. Midoriya might actually win and it’s unnerving. He’s not the same kid they pushed around on the playground. He’s not the kid who’d cry if someone grabbed his notebook. Well, he’s crying now, but there’s something wild about his face. Fearsome, honestly. The kind of kid Takeo would’ve edged around in middle school.
Todoroki and Midoriya are screaming something at each other, but it’s not picking up. He can’t stop staring at the destruction littered all over the arena. Barely any of it is Todoroki’s doing. His ice is shattered into powder in some places.
Matsumoto finally stops muttering. “Do you…do you think he could do this the entire time?”
Midoriya moves, punching Todoroki way too far to not be a quirk.
“I…”
Both of them are fighting hard. It’s a proper Sport’s Festival fight, except not because it’s becoming even more destructive than the Float Girl and Bakugou’s fight. There’s goddamn blood halfway across Midoriya’s face from where he broke his own thumb in his mouth.
Takeo gulps. If Midoriya had been any other random participant, he’d have called him scary. Called him cool or tough or—
Todoroki goes flying again.
The two of them are screaming at each other, but between the mics being too far away and the constant explosions, Takeo has no idea what they’re saying. He’s never seen Midoriya so fierce before, though. His face barely resembles the kid Takeo saw day after day. It’s the kind of face Takeo would’ve rushed away from.
It’s scary.
Matsumoto chokes and there’s fire everywhere. Apparently, Todoroki has two goddamn modes, and the fight keeps escalating.
The two rush at each other from across the room. Midnight and Cementoss rush in and suddenly there’s a huge explosion. Even from the television the sound is deafening. Smoke fills the screen.
“What the hell,” Matsumoto gasps.
Takeo shakes his head. The smoke starts to clear. The arena is destroyed. Todoroki is the first thing the cameras focus on. He’s still in the ring, standing upright but looking wrecked. Half his uniform is destroyed and he’s panting like he’s run a marathon.
The cameras swing around again to focus on Midoriya. Matsumoto gasps again. He’s plastered into the wall, cracks forming around his back. He’s still standing. He looks just as bad as Todoroki, uniform wrecked and out of breath and his arm somehow looks worse.
Takeo gags. Matsumoto’s turned white. The broken fingers had been easy to ignore, with how little he’d been able to see them. The arm though—
At least his arm after the first punch hadn’t been so obvious.
“What the hell…”
The camera jerks away as Present Mic announces the winner. Todoroki, of course.
“What’s wrong with him?” Matsumoto hisses, back to a more normal color.
Now that the question has been asked, Takeo can’t help but to turn it around in his head. Midoriya, famous for not having a quirk at Aldera, now has a quirk. A quirk that’s stupidly powerful. A quirk that breaks his bones whenever he uses it…
Is this why Midoriya had been so sure he could be a hero? It’s a liability, but there’s people like Recovery Girl out there. Takeo had never seen Midoriya’s medical records, he’d just heard the rumors. Had they been wrong? Had Midoriya just been ashamed he couldn’t use his quirk? Had it been too dangerous? Takeo doesn’t know.
He runs his hands through his hair roughly. His teeth start to grow a little, before he can reel them back.
“I don’t understand anything,” he moans.
Matsumoto lets out a hysterical chuckle. “You’re telling me. All this time he coulda flicked me out the window…guess he didn’t want to break a hand.”
“Don’t joke about that!”
“I don’t know that I am. Bakugou I get. Even with this quirk, he’d be getting his ass beat. But me? You? C’mon.”
Takeo slumps until his head touches his knees. “Why didn’t he say anything?”
He can see Matsumoto shrugging in his peripheral vision. “I dunno. He was kinda a momma’s boy, I think. Maybe she told him to.”
He can vaguely remember Midoriya hiding behind his mom at the playground when they were younger. Takeo doesn’t think Midoriya was excessively clingy, but Matsumoto had hung out with Bakugou for a few years before Takeo had met either of them. Maybe it was different when they were younger?
“Man, this is messed up.” Takeo straightens again. The teachers are clearing the arena. Present Mic is trying to do some weird trivia thing with the other announcer.
“Yeah,” Matsumoto says, sighing.
“I feel like I’ve been lied to, but it’s not like we were friends…” Takeo grumbles.
“He could’ve just kicked our asses.”
“Or told us, I can see not wanting to break your—well whatever he would break.”
“Damn,” Matsumoto says, “It’s not like you can do anything about it.”
A flush rises on Takeo’s face. It’s a bit humiliating, knowing that he’d been totally wrong about something. But Midoriya’s wild face during the fight pops into his mind. The blood across his face, his narrowed eyes…Midoriya had been scary. Midoriya had never been scary with them. He’d always been weak. Stood up for kids all the time just to get his ass beat. Takeo’s pretty sure Matsumoto’s wrong about the why.
Now that he’s thinking back, Midoriya had been different towards the end. There was the sleeping and exhaustion, but it hadn’t been just that. Near the end of the year, Matsumoto had shoved the books off his desk one day and he’d just stared at them for a minute before picking them up and leaving.
He hadn’t even said anything. Hadn’t even looked back.
“Something happened, I think.” Takeo frowns. “Something before the end of the year back then.”
“Oh?”
“I don’t know what, but I think maybe someone decided to help him. Maybe his quirk was even worse before then. Some of the kids in this, it’s obvious they can’t fight. But Midoriya could.”
The girl who fought Bakugou would’ve been ten times better if she had hand to hand. Midoriya’s hadn’t been crazy good or anything, but it was above average.
Matsumoto stares at the screen. The work’s almost done.
“You’re probably right, it’s not like our quirk counsellor was worth a damn. Emiko was still lighting things on fire in third year.”
And Bakugou had someone his parents had hired. Takeo can still remember that every Wednesday they’d get ditched so he could ride the train out. By second year he’d known more about his quirk than Takeo thought most people bothered to learn in a lifetime.
That was heroes for you, though.
And it looked like Midoriya had found someone to help him with the same thing. Or well, enough to get into UA of all places. Takeo was begrudgingly impressed.
Bakugou gets another match. It’s pretty boring and Takeo still can’t find any words. Todoroki wins again. Bakugou wins again, though the bird guy’s quirk is still pretty cool. Bad matchup, really.
The final fight is Todoroki versus Bakugou, which is what Takeo would’ve predicted at the beginning of all this. Todoroki doesn’t go all out this time, though, even if Bakugou is totally wrecking his shit.
He mostly just looks tired as he’s getting tossed and punched across the arena.
Takeo can relate.
Bakugou wins, of course. And he also makes a scene, which is typical.
There’s none of the ribbing that would usually come after a sports festival watch. None of the predictions about other matchups.
It’s silent.