Walking through the halls under the stadium, I struggle to find our seats. Turning a corner, I hear familiar voices. 

"I'm not really sure what you're getting at," Midoriya's voice says. I quicken my pace slightly, trying to determine from which direction the sound is coming. "What're you trying to tell me, Todoroki?"

Wait, his voice sounds serious. Should I really be popping up in the middle of this?

I round another corner, my steps slowing and I'm met with fiery ruby eyes. Bakugo is leaning against a wall, listening in on the conversation between our classmates. He glares at me and puts a finger to his lips. 

Like I was going to say anything anyway, I think as I roll my eyes and walk forward, taking the marker off my wristband. I go to uncap it to ask him for directions, but he takes a quiet step towards me and grabs it, his eyes imploring me to not make a sound. I let out a silent breath and hold my hand out for the marker, but he motions for me to wait as he continues listening into the conversation. 

This is totally invading their privacy! I lean against the wall next to him, glaring daggers at the back of his head. 

"Have you ever heard of…quirk marriages?" Todoroki asks. "They became a problem in the first few generations after superpowers became widespread. There were those that sought out potential mates solely with the intention of creating powerful children. Many people were forced into relationships. They were simply viewed as old fashioned arranged marriages. But clearly, it was unethical. My father had not only a rich history of accomplishments, but plenty of money to throw at his problems. He bought my mother's relatives to get his hands on her quirk."

His voice is monotone, but as he speaks more of his father, anger rises ever so slightly in his voice. I can hear just how frustrated he is with his father's deeds. This is too personal. We can't be listening to this.

I tap Bakugo on the shoulder and he turns quickly. I hold out my hand once more, but he ignores it. Annoyed, I swing my fist towards his head, but he catches it and turns, holding me to the wall. He leans in close to me and I can feel his breath fanning across my neck, making my skin crawl. 

"If you're going to make a sound, then do it. Use that annoying quirk of yours. But if you don't want to get caught, then shut up." He whispers forcefully into my ear. His clutch becomes stronger on my wrist as I struggle to make him let go. 

I squirm as I feel his sweaty grasp on my arm. He could break it so easily. Right here and now. My heart pounds in my chest as my body prepares to flee. I begin shaking in my boots as he turns back to the conversation between the two boys, his grip slackening just a bit. We missed some of what was said.

"In every memory of my mother, I only see her crying," I can hear the defeat in Todoroki's voice and it hurts just to listen to. What happened to the stoic, brave boy he's been? Has that all been a front? What did his father do to his family that is causing this? 

"I remember she called my left side unbearable…before she poured boiling water on my face." His voice breaks down to barely a whisper and I feel my knees give out. Bakugo lets go of my wrist as I slide to the ground, his eyes wide. 

So that's what that scar is from. It wasn't even from his father. His mother hated that man so much, she took it out on a child?!? And not just any child, but her own? What would I have done if I never had people who loved me?

I would've ended it a lot easier. 

My heartbeat stops for a moment, then picks up once more, hammering away at my ribcage. I haven't had those thoughts in a while, but it's true. If I knew that nobody really loved me, it would've been so much easier to let myself die when I made that decision three years ago. 

The breath feels like it's been knocked out of my lungs and my body is paralyzed as I'm forced to sit here and listen to my classmate's tragedy. 

"The reason I picked a fight with you was to show my old man what I was capable of doing. Without having to rely on his damned fire quirk." The venom comes back into his voice. "You see, I'm going to show him that I reject his power. And I can take first place without using it."

I can't take it anymore. I grab Bakugo's arm and drag him away. He surprisingly doesn't retaliate, letting me lead him through the halls until we are far enough away that we can't hear the conversation anymore. When I let him go, he still stares blankly ahead, processing the information. 

I illuse a woodblock sound just behind his head, knocking it forward harshly. He drops my marker from shock and I bend down, scrambling to get it, though it doesn't look like he's planning on stopping me. 

"What was that for?!?" He shouts at me, rubbing the back of his head and glaring at me. 

"You shouldn't have been listening in!" I write, showing him. He flicks his blood red eyes over quickly before staring back into my soul. 

"Then why didn't you leave, Mute?" He glares. I go to write on my arm band, but pause, thinking through my answer. He smirks at my hesitation.

Why didn't I leave? Did I want to know the story behind the most mysterious boy in class too? No, I was trying to get Bakugo out of there. He was the one that needed to respect their privacy. Still...I should've just left…

"Exactly, you wanted to know as much as I did." He gestures to the box of food still in my hand. "You better finish that. Don't think you can fool me. You'll never be a hero if you can't help yourself."

His eyes take in my bony arms and the way the uniform shirt hangs off of me. Like it's worn by a skeleton. I just stand there silently, not sure how to respond. 

"Tch," he scoffs, walking off. "It's never too late to drop out, Curly. The hero life's not for everyone. Frankly, I don't care. There's no time to care about whatever you extras are doing from my place at the top."

I stand silently in the hallway, frozen in place. I helped myself once. When I decided to not give up on life. But I have been damaged so much. Is there anything left to save?

Yes. Of course there is. There's Mic and Ochaco and Reina and the rest of my class. Kirishima has been nothing but welcoming to me ever since I started. Ojiro has always stuck by my side. Yaoyorozu said just earlier that she believes in me. Why do they believe I can do this?

The problem with people believing in you is that it hurts that much more to disappoint them. 

Stop.

Grandma told me to master my power and use it to help. I will do it. The word of some douchebag bully shouldn't stop me. Everyone's counting on me to become a hero. Am I strong enough to do that?

I sure hope so. 

I look around, assessing my options for how to get back to the stands when voices come down the corridor to my right. 

"YOUR CLASS IS UBER IMPRESSIVE!!!! HOW DO YOU EXPECT THE ONE ON ONE MATCHES TO GO?!?"

"Can you stop yelling right in my ear?"

I run towards them, not stopping until Uncle Mic and Mr. Aizawa are right in front of me. 

"KOTO!!!! IMPRESSIVE WORK OUT THERE!! SORRY ABOUT NOT MOVING ONTO THE NEXT ROUND, THOUGH. THOSE STUDENTS FROM CLASS 1-B ARE CLEVER!!!"

"Please be quiet," Aizawa mumbles tiredly from under his bandages. 

"That's okay, really. I'm disappointed, but we've still got two more years for me to make a splash. And I won't stop training until I can give it all I've got," I sign, giving him a determined smile. Though I'm not really sure if I mean it. 

Mic smiles and ruffles my hair, pulling me into a hug. "THAT'S MY FAVORITE NIECE RIGHT THERE! I'M GLAD TO SEE YOU'RE STILL PUTTING UP A FIGHT!!!"

"Thanks, Mic. Also, how do I get to the student stands from here?"

"YOU SHOULDN'T BE GOING TO THE STANDS!! EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BE DOWN ON THE FIELD IN FIFTEEN MINUTES!!!"

I jump as I take in his words. What would I have done if he hadn't told me?!?

He tells me how to get back to the field and I head over. I stay in the tunnel for a bit, looking at the half filled box of food. I don't know why I'm listening to Bakugo. He's such a bully, but he's certainly intelligent. I have to give him that. If only he were as compassionate as he is insightful, he would have no trouble becoming the number one hero. With that attitude of his, he's definitely going to struggle to capture the public's heart. 

Knowing I can't eat anymore, I throw away the box and leave the tunnel, sitting by a wall as a few other students come out, talking with their friends. The sun beats down on me and I know I will have an awful burn if I don't get out of the sun soon. All the sunscreen on my face was washed off, so I lower my head, hiding my face with my hair, praying I don't look too ridiculous. 

Soon, Mic comes back over the loudspeaker, announcing that the girls from class 1-A are providing a bit of fan service. 

What?

I look up to see my female classmates wearing matching cheer uniforms. They look distressed as they see nobody else is wearing them. I walk over to the group and notice Mineta and Kaminari ogling them while Yaoyorozu falls to the ground on the verge of tears. 

Was this some sort of prank?!? Oh that little pervert is about to die.

I sit next to Yaoyorozu and rub circles on her back while illusing white noise directly into the purple idiot's thick skull. He should have a pounding headache in a few minutes. This shouldn't take too much energy. 

"Yamada! We were trying to find you during lunch, but we couldn't!" Yaoyorozu pouts from her place on the ground. "But I guess it's all for the best. At least you didn't get tricked into this stupid prank!"

She throws her pom poms down, angrily. I notice Mineta clutching his head with his eyes squeezed shut. With a shit-eating grin, I point to him, directing all the girls' attention to the suffering boy. 

"Thank you!" Yaoyorozu exclaims, tears in her eyes as she wraps me in a tight hug. I hold her for a few moments before I notice somebody's presence next to us. 

I look up to see a girl with short purple hair and headphones jacks connected to her earlobes standing over us. 

"Yaomomo, what happened?" She asks, bending down next to us. 

"Oh, Jiro!" Yaoyorozu, or Yaomomo as this girl calls her, cries, turning to her friend. "Those idiots tricked us into wearing these stupid outfits! I even used Creation to make them!"

I stand, letting Yaoyorozu's friend take care of her.

Midnight calls the students together in front of the stage to announce the brackets for the first round of head to head battles. She also says those who got out already can participate in other activities before the finals begin. 

Shockingly, Ojiro puts his hand up, stopping her before she can announce the pairings. Turns out, he was on the third place team, but he wants to forfeit because of something that happened during the cavalry battle with his teammate. 

I look over to see a guy with lavender hair glaring at him. He has bags under his eyes and his hair appears to defy gravity. More with these spiky haired dudes! He seems to be upset that Ojiro is giving away information about him. He must work better in secret, when people don't know about his quirk. He looks away quickly. 

Ojiro growls that he was only the lavender guy's puppet and that he won't move onto the final round because he doesn't feel he deserves it. Another teammate of Ojiro also backs out, knowing they should have gotten there on their own and didn't deserve to go on without having fought for it like everyone else. 

I put a hand on Ojiro's shoulder. Everyone else seems to be yelling at him to just take what he can get and prove himself in the finals, but I understand where he's coming from. He looks over at me and I give him a small nod, softening my gaze. He smiles, seeming to understand. He doesn't have to compete if he doesn't want to. 

"Listen to these guys!!" Kirishima cries, clenching his fists. "They're so manly!!"

Midnight allows it…but phrases it in her usual uncomfortably horny way, so Ojiro hides his face. Aoyama places his hand on the boy's other shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll win it for you," he declares confidently. 

Midnight looks through the ranks, trying to figure out who to include as replacements in the next task. Ultimately, she decides on two students from the other hero class. One girl appears to have vines for hair and the other boy is the silver haired one with a similar quirk to Kirishima's. At least that's what I can guess, seeing as he got crushed by a giant robot too, but didn't seem to suffer any injuries. I look a little closer at him and see he even has pointed teeth like my red haired friend. They really are like mirror images, aren't they?

Midnight reveals the brackets, showing Kirishima and his twin, Tetsutetsu, up against each other. I laugh silently as they both rage that this keeps happening to them. She then releases us to the stands while the extra side competitions take place and the competitors prepare themselves. I probably won't compete in any of these other games, but who knows? One might sound fun and I could show off a little bit. 

The girls in cheerleading uniforms cheer for our classmates as they compete in scavenger hunt and various other games. I'm not too inclined to join either group, so I sit on the sidelines and watch. I want to pull Ochaco away so she can rest, but this seems to be her way of getting her nerves out, so I let her continue cheering while I go up to the stands. I finally found our section. 

•°•°•°•

After the games, my classmates join me in the stands as the pro hero Cementos creates the battlefield for the students. It's made out of cement of course. I'm sure it's so that he can intervene if need be. As his name indicates, he can control cement. If things get out of hand, he can just touch the ground in front of him and stop the fight. 

The first battle is Midoriya versus the lavender haired boy named Shinso. I'm not sure why this boy intimidates me so much. It must have to do with the fact that Ojiro backed out strictly because of him.

Fire flares from the corners of the field as Uncle Mic announces the two competitors. The crowd goes wild, including our class. Uraraka cheers louder than anybody for her friend. 

The rules are announced that the fighters must either immobilize their opponents or send them out of the ring. I feel my jaw drop as Mic encourages them to play dirty and let Recovery Girl take care of them. 

We're still in high school!! Should you really be condoning this much violence and such little compassion?!?

He yells for them to begin, but neither move. I can tell Shinso is speaking, but suddenly, Midoriya runs at him. Then stops? AND TURNS AROUND?!?

WHY IS HE WALKING OUT OF THE RING?!?

"AAGH!!" Ojiro exclaims, standing up. "I warned him not to say anything!"

Our whole class stands, watching in horror as our classmate walks to the edge of the ring. Just before his feet cross the line, a large blast of wind strikes from in front of him, knocking him out of whatever trance Shinso had put him in. We cheer as he grabs the boy and throws him out of bounds. 

The next round is between Sero and Todoroki. As the match begins, Sero is quick to wrap the other boy in tape and try to swing him out of bounds, but Todoroki sends out the most gigantic wave of ice I've ever seen. It covers over half of the stands, including our section. I hear Midnight ask Sero if he can move, before declaring him immobilized.

I shiver in my seat, holding my thin arms close to my chest. Bakugo scoffs from behind me as I wrap my arms around Ochaco, both of us trying to conserve our body heat by huddling together. 

Eventually the ice is melted and the next battle takes place between Kaminari and the girl with vines for hair. His electricity is unable to get past the vines, so she wins and moves onto the next round. 

During the next battle, Iida faces off against a girl from the support class who I guess was on Midoriya's team. She apparently gave the blue haired boy some gadgets to assist him, but she only seems to be selling her products to investors, stepping out of bounds once she feels she has spoken enough. A very winded looking Iida advances in the bracket. 

Mina melts Aoyama's belt with her acid, leaving him unable to attack her. She advances as well. 

Tokoyami faces Yaoyorozu in the next matchup. Unfortunately, no matter how cool Yaoyorozu's quirk is, she can't create anything fast enough to stop Dark Shadow and is pushed out of bounds almost immediately. 

Kirishima faces off against his twin which is quite the sight to see. The boy named Tetsutetsu seems to be equally matched against our classmate. After a while of them beating each other up, they collapse at the same moment, the round ending in a tie. 

A tie? How's that going to be sorted out?

They're both carried off the field to Recovery Girl while Bakugo takes on Ochaco. She had refused help from Midoriya when he had offered and just walked out into the arena. As the battle starts, I watch as she runs repeatedly towards the explosive blonde, always being knocked back just before she can touch him. In a very clever move, she removes her jacket in the cloud of dust Bakugo had created, using it as a decoy so she can sneak up on him, but he is sadly too aware to let that work on him. 

Would it be cheating if I made a distraction for him? Probably. I just wish I could do something. 

People from the crowds begin booing Bakugo, criticizing him for toying with my friend, but I know she has a plan and she needs to stay in the ring for as long as she can. Uncle Mic shouts from the press box, but the microphone is stolen by Mr.  Aizawa. He says that Bakugo keeping her in bounds for this long is an acknowledgement of her strength, knowing she deserves to be here. Surely enough, just when she begins wobbling from nausea, she puts the pads of her fingers together, with a loud cry and letting a meteor shower of the broken cement come crashing down. My heart jumps into my throat as I see Bakugo raise one arm and blast all the rocks and my friend away. The blast is so powerful, it can be felt throughout the stands. A strong scent of burning sugar floats over us. What in the world? Ochaco passes out soon after the explosion, fighting until the last moment. 

Bakugo joins the group again as Kirishima and Tetsutetsu compete in an arm wrestling match to decide the winner of the tie. I tear my eyes away from the boys as the cement slab cracks beneath their elbows to watch as our class yells at the boy. 

"I don't know how you were able to aim a powerful blast at a frail girl like that," Kaminari says and I'm about to turn around to slap him for talking about my best friend that way when Bakugo sits in the seat two away from me. 

"I definitely wouldn't call that girl frail," he rasps, taking the words out of my mouth as he clutches his fist in his lap. I notice his arm shaking as he does this. 

Was that the arm he used for that big blast at the end? Did his own power actually hurt him? I didn't think his quirk had any drawbacks. 

With one large cry, Kirishima slams Tetsutetsu's arm back into the cement slab, moving himself onto the next round. He offers the metal boy his hand as they move off the stage for the next round. Bakugo's movement beside me catches my attention. His fingers try to work the tension out of his arm, but it seems his muscles won't relax. 

Looking away, I focus onto a few specific pressure points on his arm and illuse high frequency white noise, much higher than humans can perceive. He gasps involuntarily as the sharp pain relaxes his muscles. And that's why I spent a week researching acupuncture. That's a creepy part of the internet I don't want to go back to any time soon. But it sure is helpful. 

This is for not doubting my best friend.

Thank you.

"The fuck did you just do?" He glares at me. I notice some other people looking my way too at his sudden outburst. I merely shrug my shoulders, tilting my head and widening my eyes as I feign innocence. 

He can't prove it was me that did that, I think while mentally smirking. Or...actually smirking. Oh shoot did I actually do that? Now he's gonna know for sure it was me. Oh well, he hates me anyways. 

I turn back away and watch as Todoroki and Midoriya get ready for their fight. Kirishima returns, taking the seat between Bakugo and I. 

"Good job," I sign to him. 

"Thanks," he signs in return with a large smile. I find it hard to keep my grin in when I see the joy in his eyes. 

Ochaco returns, her eyes puffy from crying. She walks down our row, sitting between Iida and I. She tries to pass it off as no big deal, but I know that loss hit her hard. I know she wants to be signed by a good hero agency one day and I'm sure she will. She got much farther than I managed to. I don't know who will want some nobody who couldn't even make it to the final round. I reach out and give her a hug, practically pulling her whole body onto my seat. She wipes her eyes on my shoulder, sniffling. 

I feel a weight draped around my shoulders as Kirishima places his hand on her head. We both look over to him as he sends her a reassuring smile. "You did great out there. Certainly gave Bakugo a run for his money."

"Shut up, shitty hair," said boy growls from the end of the row. 

"He was singing your praises earlier," Kaminari adds from behind us. 

"I WAS NOT!" 

"He was saying that you're definitely not frail. That's the best compliment I've ever heard from him," I sign as she sits back up.

"HEY, YOU ALL WANNA DIE TODAY?!?" Bakugo stands up angrily, his hands sparking. 

"You should be conserving your energy!!" Iida shouts across the row, standing up and waving his arms wildly. 

"Tch," the boy shoots one last glare at each of us before slumping down into his seat. Iida nods and returns to his seat as well.

Ochaco smiles to herself and looks back down to the arena. I pull out my phone and start a new message. 

Me: That just made her day. Maybe people would like you more if you drop the whole "I don't care" act

I watch as Mic introduces the fighters and I feel a buzz in my hand. 

Bakugo: Delete this number, Mute

Me: Hmm… nah

I close my phone and watch the competitors face off. My phone buzzes again and I can feel the porcupine's eyes on me, so I make a show out of flicking the switch to silence my phone and put it in my pocket without taking my eyes off the match. 

"Damn Mute," I hear him mumble from across Kirishima, whose arm is still around me by the way. 

"What was that?" He asks his friend. 

"Just watch the match, Metapod," he growls. I giggle lightly at the new nickname.

Todoroki sends wave after wave of ice at Midoriya, but he repeatedly breaks his fingers, not allowing the crystals to reach him. They scream at each other, neither being able to get the upper hand, though I can tell Todoroki's movements are slowing. If he doesn't use his fire quirk soon, he'll freeze himself solid. 

The two boys pause their attacks, the air in the arena dances with ice crystals that twinkle in the sun as though we're in a snow globe. The frigid air becomes smoldering in a moment as a blast of fire explodes from the two toned boy. I see the rest of my class back away from the heat, but I can't stop myself from leaning forward in my seat, breathless at the display of power.

"SHOTOOOOO!!!!" A voice booms over the crowd. I observe as the flame hero descends the stands, approaching the barrier to shout encouragement to his son, though it doesn't appear either competitor is listening. I shiver despite the heat, finally registering my fear of the man. 

He's Scar. His flames are always active as a display of power and dominance over everyone else. Just like how Scar always has his claws out and on display. I guess that's what rubbed me the wrong way about this man even before I knew what he did to his family. He's also just not approachable. A hero should be someone the public loves. If Bakugo's not careful, he's gonna end up just like him. 

I look up at one of the screens to see a close up of Todoroki's face. He's…smiling. A large, wild, and genuine smile spreads across his features, the warm air blowing his hair around his face. His eyes are alight with power and I gasp out a breath. The hot wind draws tears from my eyes that can't look away. As I look into his joyful eyes, my heart beats through my chest at the beauty of the moment. The screen switches back to a shot of the full arena and I struggle to make myself breathe normally. 

The two boys charge up powerful attacks as Cementos tries to put walls up between them. The air erupts into a massive blast, sending hot air and chunks of cement hurtling in every direction. I close my eyes, turning into Kirishima's shoulder as he uses his hardening quirk to protect me from the blast. Little does he know I made a wall of white noise over our whole class. I don't need my quirk for the rest of the day. Might as well. 

However, this proves to be a bad plan. The pain in my head multiplies further, making me quickly release my hold on the noise. I can only pray everyone is safe. The arena falls silent as the last few boulders fall. I look up to see Midoriya out of bounds, leaving Todoroki to move on to the next round. As Midnight announces his victory, the camera pans the full length of his body. 

Why? Just why, I think, my face heating up. Half his uniform is burned off. The smoke curls around his exposed muscles and I force myself to look away. I swear everyone must be able to hear my heartbeat. We're teenagers for goodness sake! Give the boy some privacy!

And yet, I can't get that image out of my brain no matter how hard I try to force it. Why is my heartbeat getting louder? I can't be feeling this way. No sir. I refuse. I will be a hero and I will have no distractions. Get that image out. Now. 

I listen into the discussion between Kirishima and Bakugo as they evaluate the match, hoping to rid my mind of any of my own thoughts. 

After the stage is repaired, Iida faces off against the vine girl. He is able to move much faster than the vines, easily getting her out of the competition. 

Tokoyami competes against Ashido, her acid not working against Dark Shadow. The bird boy moves on in the bracket. 

In the final fight of round two, Kirishima fights against Bakugo. The two friends duke it out, Kirishima sending blow after blow at the blonde, able to land only one hit to his face before Bakugo explodes the redhead. The explosions wear down his quirk until a final blast knocks Kirishima out of the competition. 

The next rounds aren't as interesting as the other ones. Todoroki doesn't use his fire quirk again, allowing Bakugo to claim first place in the sports festival. The boy tries to ignite the same spark in his opponent that Midoriya had, but Todoroki's unconscious body leaves him unsatisfied as the victor. His screams reach us, angry that his competitor hadn't given it his all. 

All Might bestows medals to the winners, but as the pedestals rise, Bakugo is shaking with rage, being tied down to a concrete block, a muzzle covering his mouth as he no doubt spews profanity at everyone, especially Todoroki on the second place pedestal. Tokoyami stands alone on the third place pedestal, despite Iida having placed third as well. According to Ochaco, something happened with his family and he had to leave immediately. She said she would update me later. 

The audience files out of the stadium. I text Mic, letting him know I will be hanging out with Reina and Ochaco. 

Mic: Okay!! I'm having a party at the house tonight, but you guys can hang out in your room if you want!

Me: No, that's a terrible idea. We'll just hang out at one of their houses

Mic: You know I love you, but I have to put my foot down! This has gone on for too long! You're telling them tonight!

Me: It couldn't have at least been a normal night when you're not having one of your ragers?

Mic: Back before you came, having a rager WAS my normal night, kiddo ;)

I scoff, rolling my eyes. Ochaco looks over at me as we walk back to the locker rooms, but I wave her off. 

Me: Sorry to put a damper on your fun

Mic: Don't worry about it. Just tell them to come over at 6! We'll get pizza and move the furniture. Just imagine how much easier it will be with Uraraka helping!

Me: And your motives are revealed…

Mic: Just do it. I'll see you later, kid <3

Me: Later! :)

I put my phone in my pocket as we enter the changing rooms, trying to formulate a way to tell my friends. 

------Author's Note------

Hey guys!

I wasn't sure if I should have Koto listen in on the conversation between Todoroki and Midoriya, but ultimately I found myself writing her into that situation and it sorta made sense.

Hope you're all doing okay in these uncertain times! Stay safe!!!!