Licensed Villains

Articles

"Shouto!"

Izuku ran down the hall by the locker rooms and called after Shouto the moment they were let out of the arena. Shouto had bolted down the hallway leaving Izuku to chase after him. He couldn't just leave things as they are. He just teared the guys emotional walls down and made him deal with what he's sure is years of trauma, he'd be a massive asshole to leave him to deal with that by himself now. Fuck.

"Shouto! Slow down!" Izuku called again. The two-toned boy kept charging down the hallway despite his calls. "Please! Shouto, I just want to talk."

He hadn't meant for this to happen. He only wanted him to use his fire and come to terms with the fact that Endeavor can't control him. What he hadn't wanted to do was win. He was rooting for Shouto to go on to win the whole Sports Festival, it will help him with internships. Izuku's just a random analyst with a secure job and internship, he doesn't need to win, but now he has and probably hurt Shouto's pride along the way.

God, he could practically hear Dabi teasing him about being so great at making friends.

He caught Shouto's wrist and the boy whipped around to face him. His face was set into an angered snarl, lips parting like he was about to snap something when he saw Izuku's face. He appeared to hesitate, freezing and expression softening, but only slightly, still stern and frustrated. "Midoriya," he said, sighing, "What?"

"I, uh." Why was the hand on his wrist so cold? Is it a side effect from using his quirk? What had he wanted to say again? Oh, right. He shifted his gaze from Shouto's hand on his wrist back up to the actual boy himself.

"I wanted to apologize," he said. "I was out of line back there. I shouldn't have said all those thing about your family and your quirk. It's not my place to step in, and I'm sorry. I'm also sorry I knocked you out of bounds. I know you wanted to win this, or to at least beat me."

Shouto scanned over him for a second or two, seeming to think over his choice of words. Izuku felt guilt claw at his chest. He feels like an asshole. It's one thing to rip open Shouto's bag of trauma like that, it's another to then win against him after.

Finally he spoke up. "Don't apologize. You won fairly."

"But I already have a secured internship and you--"

"It doesn't matter," he cut him off. He ducked his head, hair falling into his eyes. "You deserved that win. Besides, I can get an internship without winning this sports festival. You're not the only one who has a secure internship because of my father." 

He forgot about that. He supposes having the number two hero for a father would have its perks like that. Everyone would want him as an intern. Even without his fathers help he could probably get one. He's impressive.

He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. "I guess you're right." He shifted on his feet. "Still, I shouldn't have said half the things I did."

Shouto hummed and gave him a quizzical look. "I don't think so. You were right about all you said. I. . . I think I needed to hear it. And what you said about yourself. . ."

Izuku tensed at that.

"Oh, um. What I said about myself isn't really important. It all just sort of came out," he quickly assured him.

"It seemed important."

"Shouto, I mean it. It's irrelevant."

There was moment of silence that hung between them. Shouto seemed to have a question on the tip of his tongue but he didn't ask it. Instead, he muttered, "I didn't know you were quirkless."