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He was used to it by now - the comments, the wary looks, outright avoidance. These were all things he'd been forced to accept ever since his Quirk first manifested. Villain. Monster. Evil. Future criminal. All words he'd heard a hundred times - not that it made them easier to hear or lessened the sting. People had a tendency to judge before actually getting to know him.
In spite of all of that, he was determined to be a hero. He would prove that a person's Quirk doesn't define who they could become.
It crushed him when he couldn't pass the entrance exam - not that you'd be able to tell from the outside. Why the people responsible for the practical exam never stopped to consider Quirks like his own when designing the test baffled him, though it wasn’t surprising. That was why he made sure to apply for the Hero Course and General Studies.
After the Sports Festival gave him the opportunity to show off exactly what he was capable of, the comments got worse. Instead of wary glances, they had morphed into all out glares. Some people still avoided him; but now others would go out of their way to say something before intentionally knocking his shoulder or trying to trip him. Most of the time he noticed them well in advance and was able to brace for whatever they planned to do.
This time he didn't. He'd been speaking with one of his homeroom classmates, discussing an upcoming project. With his attention focused elsewhere, he didn't see the three 2nd Years approaching.
Not until the first one knocked his shoulder so hard he nearly dropped his bag. The force of it made him stumble backward a step, leaving his other side open for another member of the trio to give his arm a shove.
"You shouldn't be here, villain," the first one sneered, towering above him.
"Yeah. What's UA supposed to do with a puppet master anyway? You're just gonna turn on us eventually." The only one who hadn't touched him yet, shoved him backward.
Even with his heart pounding and his stomach twisted in knots Shinso shook his head and kept his voice level, "I've already been clear in my intention to become a hero."
One of the upperclassmen laughed, while his friend slapped a hand over their mouth, "Shut up dude. That's how he controls people."
The first one prowled forward, his large hand fisting into the front of Shinso's shirt, until he had him backed against the wall. He was big, bigger than Shiso by a long shot. Must be a Hero Course student.
"Listen up, freak. We all know you're gonna end up flipping to the villain's side anyway. Why don't you save us the trouble an-"
He never got to finish. One second, he was towering over Hitoshi, threatening him with his presence alone; and in the next heartbeat all three of them were wrapped in strange sickly colored tendrils of faintly glowing energy and yanked a few yards down the hall. Shinso couldn't help but cringe at the sounds of their backs slamming into the window - he was surprised the glass didn't crack with the force of the impact.
And then you stepped forward. A fierce frown pulled down the corners of your mouth, your eyebrows almost knitted together with how deep you were scowling.
He'd seen you before, you were a first year like him - except you were in the Hero Course. You hadn't made it to the sparring matches during the Sports Festival. Although considering the control you now had over your Quirk, you'd clearly been practicing in the months since.
"The fuck is your problem?" Your voice was low, laced with venom and anger.
All three of the upperclassmen struggled against your binds, their faces alight with embarrassed fury.
"Let us go, first year! This ain't any of your business!"
A strangled choking sound left all three of them as the sickly glow grew brighter. You took another step toward them. It was then that Hitoshi noticed the subtle movement of your fingers, almost like you were tapping at a piano or weaving an invisible power through your fingers.
"If anyone's a villain in this school it's you three."
Another step toward them.
"And if there’s anyone here that you should be afraid of..."
You paused, your eyes narrowing before you clenched your fist. The lashes around them tightened to the point Shinso was sure bones would break. Then, just as quickly as they'd appeared to pull the 2nd Years away from him, they vanished - dropping all three to the floor as they gasped for air.
"...it's me."
That was a little over a week ago and Shinso could not get you out of his head. After you released your Quirk, the entire hall was filled with stunned silence. You didn't wait for someone to speak, you didn't even look his way, you just grabbed your bag from where you'd dropped it on the floor and continued walking down the hallway.
After a few seconds of silence, he heard a couple of others from Class 1A call out to you - the loudest being Bakugo. From the way the handful of your classmates surrounded you, he knew there was a mutual respect there. For the first time in a while, he felt a pang of jealousy in his chest that almost overwhelmed the warm flush of gratitude.
No one had ever stood up for him like that. Not once. Even his own 'friends' still made underhanded jokes about his Quirk. He didn't even know you and you'd had his back.
In the days that followed, he asked around about you. To his surprise you had more in common then he realized. Your Quirk allowed you to manipulate a person's soul, and the overwhelming consensus on campus was that you "should have been a villain." He understood now, why you'd defended him the way you had.
After that, he made it his mission to thank you. Because you were in the Hero Course your schedules rareely lined up. At one point he'd caught sight of you in the cafeteria sitting with some of the others from 1A. But when he got up to try and talk to you, you were already gone.
Until finally, today, he managed to catch you leaving Gym Gamma. You were chatting with Midoriya, a bright smile lighting up your face that almost stopped him in his tracks - so different from how you'd looked in the hall. He couldn't quite catch what you were saying, but Midoriya was nodding along enthusiastically. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Shinso walked toward you.
"Hey," his voice carried over the open space, stopping you in your tracks.
Midoriya looked between you and Shinso, a question on his face, though his mouth never moved.
Hitoshi watched you laugh again, this time a little lighter, "I'll be fine, Izuku. I'll see you back at the dorms. Thanks again for your help."
The green-haired student nodded, curiosity still burning in his eyes when he walked away. You turned to face him. He watched as you crossed your arms, rocking back to rest on one leg while you regarded him.
"Hey, yourself."
A little thrill went through him when your eyes met.
"Hope I wasn't interrupting," he tried to keep his tone casual, unbothered. But there was a level of quiet intimidation that you unconsciously exuded that had the butterflies in his stomach threatening to overwhelm him.
"Nah, we were just practicing. Did you need something, Shinso?"
Oh. He liked the way his name sounded on your lips.
"Actually, yeah. Wanted to thank you for the other day. You didn't need to do that."
Your posture softened immediately - a look of understanding flashing across your face.
"Of course I did. What kind of hero could I call myself if I didn't stand up for someone else?" The expression on your face lingered somewhere between amusement and bitterness. It was a feeling he understood far too well.
"Guess I get that," he rubbed the back of his neck - unsure where to go from here.
The silence seemed to stretch between you. He didn't want to stop talking to you, but he wasn't sure what else to say. When you shifted to stand more fully on both legs instead of leaning, he panicked, not wanting you to walk away yet.
"No one's done that before."
Shit. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.
Your face softened, shoulders relaxing when you walked toward him. He had to fight a shiver when you rested your hand on his shoulder.
"Your Quirk is amazing Shinso. It's something that will make you a great hero someday. We just gotta get it through a few idiots heads that just 'cuz someone has a manipulative Quirk it doesn't mean they're destined to be evil."
The smile you gave him was kind and soft. It was the smile of someone who understood what it was like to have their motivations questioned - of someone who was willing to fight to prove their worth.
"C'mon, let's grab something to eat. I'm starving," you nudged your head for him to follow.
Warmth bloomed in his chest as he trailed behind you. He'd hoped to have a chance to thank you, maybe chat a little. But this was better. He found someone who knew what it was like to be misunderstood, to have people question your every motivation. For the first time in a long time, he didn't feel that all too familiar jealousy - he felt peace.