The Grand Prize Is

On To The Next

As soon as the group got out of panel, Sero was leaning about the wall, his arm thrown over his eyes dramatically with his other arm clutching at his chest.

"Dude, my ass was almost toast!" He groaned as he allowed himself to slide onto the floor. Izuku smiled as he handed Sero a bottle of water.

"You just have to try harder next week, right? As it stands right now, you made it, so you should be proud of yourself." Izuku said as he crouched in front of Sero who was now looking at him with wide eyes.

"You're an angel, Midoriya, a real life angel." Sero said as he took to drinking his water bottle.

Izuku smiled again before a movement to his right caught his eye. He realized Kirishima and Mina were leaving the panel room, both of them heading towards the exit as they carried on with an animated conversation. Izuku excused himself quietly as he jogged after the two judges.

"Mina, Kirishima!" Izuku said as he caught up to them, a sheepish smile on his face as the two fave him bright smiles.

"Midoriya! How can we help you on this lovely evening?" Mina said as she slung her arm over his shoulder, standing on her tiptoes to be as tall as he was.

"I just wanted to thank you both for being so encouraging in the panel. I know it means a lot to us to hear encouraging words, even if we aren't doing the best." Izuku said as he smiled at the two of them.

Kirishima laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging as he did so.

"We were all in this position once, except you're all putting your experience on camera for millions to see, that can be a lot to deal with. Especially since a lot of you are here straight out of high school." He said, leaning against the wall.

Suddenly, Izuku felt something hit his chest at lighting speed as he was knocked off balance, barely catching himself against the wall as he looked down to see a mess of blonde hair clinging to him.

"T-toga?" he asked as he struggled to keep his balance against the wall as Toga looked up at him in tears.

"You're not actually gay, are you?" she asked loudly, loud enough for everyone to hear it. Izuku could feel his cheeks getting red as he carefully pulled Toga away from him. Internally, he was trying not to get upset with her but he was so flustered in front of the judges. His eyes flicked from Toga, to Kirishima, to Mina before they landed on the floor, unmoving as he spoke.

"Toga, I already told you, I'm not interested... I-I am gay but that isn't even important in this competition. Please, drop it." Izuku said, sighing internally as he listened to the way his voice wavered.

Izuku felt a hand on his back and he looked up to see Kirishima smiling at him brightly.

"I know plenty of people in this industry that are gay, Midoriya. Don't feel like you have to hide it ya know? Embracing yourself is totally-"

"If you say manly, i'm going to rip my hair out." Mina interjected as she smiled at Izuku. "I know you probably didn't want anyone to know, but if anyone in this room rejects you because of your personal preference, they won't make it here, or anywhere else." she said as he playfully rustled his hair.

Izuku gave them both a small smile as he started to walk away. "I really appreciate it, both of you. You should get going before it gets too dark outside. Sorry for bothering you." he said as he joined Todoroki, Iida, and Uraraka in the crowd of contestants.

The judges made their exit after saying goodbye to everyone and the group made their way to Izuku's shared bedroom. Izuku sighed as he unlaced his shoes before settling them down neatly by the side of his bed, his eyes feeling heavy as he sat on his bed.