Version A | Boku No Hero Academia Reader Insert

XIII

"Don't over-exert yourself." I nodded and accepted a cup of water from Recovery Girl. 

"I'm sorry. I was overtaken by these emotions I'd never thought I had and-" I sighed, unable to explain what was going on. The elder frowned but patted my hand, looking up at me.

"Don't injure that shoulder anymore, or you may just have to get that arm amputated off. A shoulder is a joint. You can't lose that joint if you want your arm." I pinched my bottom lip in worry and cast a glance at my brace.

"I'll heal, right? I just can't use this arm in the meantime." Recovery Girl nodded, making her way back to her desk, hobbling, but finally sitting down. 

"I can't heal you entirely. My quirk isn't that powerful. But I can help speed up the process of doing so." I nodded, thankful.

"Thank you, Miss."

__

I went out of the room, slowly walking down the hallway, looking at the light navy floor, not knowing that there was someone who was turning the corner, coming my direction. I stopped at the sight of a pair of shoes, and looked up. 

"All Might, hello." I bowed, then stood up straight again. "How are you?" He laughed and set a gentle hand on my head.

"I was actually on my way to check up on you, Young (L/N). How are you feeling?" I shrugged with one shoulder and rubbed my neck. 

"I could be better. But thanks to Recovery Girl I'm pretty okay now." I managed a small smile for the pro hero and still hadn't processed the fact that I was talking to my childhood idol. My mind was fuzzier than usual, and I didn't know where I was, nor could I care.

"You still seemed a little banged up. But I wanted to tell you that you did a good job out there. You're a really special kid, you know?" I pressed my lips into a thin line and tried to force a smile, just like his through all the soreness and bleeding. My heart still ached. The feeling of depression lingered in my being, a void that no glory could fill.

"Thank you, sir," I spoke through a tight-lipped grin, "But I think I'll be heading around the corner. After all, I don't want to miss the next fight." He laughed and put his hands on either side of his hips.

"Of course, of course!" he exclaimed, moving out of the way. "Have your fun, Young (L/N)!" I waved goodbye and continued down the path, meandering until I bumped into a room. I opened the door, not caring who was inside. I just needed to sit down.

In the room, a familiar white and red head sat, averting his gaze from the table, and onto me. His expression was downcast, as if he'd been thinking about something serious -- bothering, even. It wasn't a wise time to interfere, but I felt like we both needed to get our minds away from something.

"Todoroki." He shifted his eyes back onto the gray table, arms crossed and leaning back in his chair. He hummed, signaling that I had his attention, but wouldn't keep it for long if I didn't make things short. My teeth tugged at my bottom lip, eyebrows furrowing.

"Uhm," I began, trying to think of something. I could tell he was slowly losing interest in me. After all, there was nothing really special to begin with. Suddenly, I took a deep breath in and turned my head to him, offering a phrase of friendliness.

"Sorry if I bothered you or anything. Just wanted to say good luck." I could tell he was taken back, pondering whether I meant good, or was just teasing him. I didn't blame him, as I lost against Bakugo. A small glint returned to his eyes and Todoroki nodded.

"Thanks." The response was short and simple, not that I cared much. I nodded and continued to sit in silence until someone else kicked the door open. I slowly turned my head and calmly glanced at the intruder. 

"Oh." A familiar ashy-blonde was at the door, with one foot raised and a surprised expression haunting his features. We all just stared at each other for a moment, not knowing what to do in this situation.

"It's you." Bakugo scoffed and rolled his eyes, jamming his hands into his pockets.

"Damn right it's me." Awkwardly, he entered the room and aggressively sat down on one of the chairs, the door slowly closing. The atmosphere became tense as more and more seconds passed by, the two boys refusing to look at each other, while I was in the middle of the standoff.

When previous thoughts tried to make their way back into my head, I abruptly stood and cleared my throat, eager to get out of the silence and readjust my focus to something less brooding.

"Well, good luck to both of you. Bakugo, Todoroki. May the best be crowned the victor. I'll see you two on the podium." I made my way to the door, took the handle, turned it, and finally exited the room with a small pang hitting my chest. 

"And to think I hoped the best was me."

__

"You're back safely!" Midoriya screamed, arms reaching out to hug me gingerly, afraid of touching my right shoulder. "Uraraka-san and I were so worried, and Iida-kun too!" I gave a small chuckle, patting his head.

"Don't worry about it. This kid's strong." Trying to smile, I flexed my arm while Deku grinned. Feeling a tap on my back, I turned, coming face-to-face with Kaminari. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, obviously unhappy.

"Why didn't you use your quirk? Against Bakugo, that is? Was he too weak for you?" My breath hitched, like something had flown down my throat. 

This was my worst case scenario. Confrontation.

I hesitated and shook my head, unable to squeeze words out of my mouth. My heart hammered against my rib cage as I started to feel nauseous and sweaty. Mina piped up beside him.

"I'm sorry (L/N)-san, but this once I have to agree with Kaminari. Were we just too weak so you didn't feel the need to use your quirk? Tokoyami almost made it into third place, and he put up a pretty good fight as well. And even Bakugo." 

I was starting to stutter, but my words were still incoherent. Everything started to hit me all at once. The shame that I had when I felt nothing else but pride, the feeling of resentment towards what I'd achieved. 

Nothing. You are nothing.

Everyone, even people from Class 1B were staring at me. I bowed my head and clenched my fist, wanting to fall down like I did before. In front of everyone. 

You're such an attention whore.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you." No one said anything to me after that. Heaving a shaky sigh, I sat down with trembling legs and an unsettled stomach.

Pushing the matter the the back of my head and watched the fight go on, I couldn't help but feel like I heard whispers from my backside, and eyes bearing into the back of my head. 

__

I stood on the podium, facing the vast audience after the awkward introduction with Bakugo, Midnight, and All Might. The pro hero advanced towards me, smile brighter than ever. Trying to mirror that in my head, I couldn't imagine me doing it right now. Especially not in this state of mind. All Might finally approached me and spread his arms, quickly saying something before moving on.

"I know that you don't have a power," he murmured. "But you do have something very special in here." All Might patted his own chest, gesturing to his heart. I smiled and blinked, nodding, signaling I understood. 

"Train hard and work even harder. Try to rely on others more, acknowledge the fact that you're not alone, then you'll be a very great hero, Young (L/N)." I bowed my head as he placed the medal around my neck and hugged me, shoving my face into his armpit. It smelled like freedom, hopes, and dreams. What cologne does he use?

As he awarded the final two, the crowd cheered, shouting our three names in unison, almost like a chant. A smile plastered on my face, I looked towards the Class 1A section and spotted everyone. I saw them all laughing and cheering for us, clapping and even crying.

Us?

My small grin and the adrenaline rush faded. 

Since when were you grouped into their tier?

They were cheering for me too.

Right?