Rivalry (BNHA/MHA x Reader)

Thirty Eight: Memories

"Do you have a fever?" Izuku asked, retracting his hand from your cheek. 

He frowned a little at your confused face. "What...? No, I'm fine--" You replied before letting out a quiet sneeze.

"You're burning up." He spoke softly. You placed your own hand against your forehead to find that your skin was warmer than usual. "C'mon," He said, ushering you to return to the sofa. You took a seat and leaned back, resting your head against the cushions. Izuku wandered into your small kitchen, where he sifted through one of the open cabinets to find a dusty thermometer. He sighed before wiping it clean and bringing it over to you. 

"I feel fine," You smiled. "Really, I think it's okay--" 

"Y/N, please." He cut you off, holding the thermometer out for you to take. You sighed and placed the cool glass between your lips. 

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"That clearly says 101." Izuku claimed. You both stared at the red mercury that'd risen considerably since you placed it under your tongue, arguing over which number it had reached. You shook your head. 

"No, you're looking at it from an angle. It says 100, which can technically be considered normal." You argued.     

"I think 100 is still fever range." 

"Slight fever range."

"Y/N."

"Izuku." 

He sighed, taking the thermometer and gently whacking it against your head. "Okay... but only come to school tomorrow if you feel better. It's our first day back so something important must be happening." He said. You nodded. "I will. It's probably from being outside all day yesterday." 

"Outside?" Izuku tilted his head to the side a little. 

"Mhm. I went to the beach. You know, it's actually a lot cleaner than it used to be." 

He smiled at that. 

"Anyways... you want to watch a movie or something? I don't really feel like going anywhere today." 

"Sure. What do you want to watch?" 

You didn't care. Unlike Izuku, you weren't an avid, overanalytical, meticulous movie-watcher. He always liked to read too deeply into things and point out details and continuity errors. It was charming in a sense, and you appreciated his enthusiasm. Even now, it was nice to know things could still be normal between you two after everything that had happened. The voices and music that emitted from your TV began to blur as your eyelids grew heavy. A new voice rang out throughout your head as you drifted into sleep. A dream--no, a memory.

"Excuse me?" You said, standing over a boy that sat against the wall. He looked up from the notebook propped up against his knees, eyes wide with curiosity and something else. Fear? 

The roof. It was an unpopular place in your middle school, which is why Izuku even sat up there in the first place. Everyone at your school knew about him. And everyone loved poking fun at him because they knew he couldn't fight back. 

His eyes narrowed quickly as he stared up at you. You raised an eyebrow. "Mind if I join you?" 

His expression softened as he heard your question and grew into a confused frown. "Just get it over with." He said, flatly. 

"Get what over with?" 

"Whatever fight you want to pick. I don't care, just do it quickly." He replied. 

You remained still for a moment, studying his face and the look that was fixed on it. Pained. He looked pained. That was an expression you could sympathize with. Silently, you bent down to take a seat beside him. He watched carefully and scooted away as you sat down. You brushed your skirt out in front of you before tilting your head to look up at the sky. 

"Wow, if I knew there were bullies here, I wouldn't have transferred." 

He closed his notebook at that. "Transferred?" 

You nodded. "I had to move away from my old school, so I came here." 

When he said nothing, you turned to face him. His face was somber, eyes locked on something that wasn't there. You frowned. "You get bullied a lot here?" He turned to you, taken aback by the bluntness of your question. "What?" 

"You seem different from the other people here. Is it because they make fun of you?" 

A few moments of silence passed. "Something like that." 

"How come?" You turned away from him, staring down at the hands folded on your lap. 

"I'm quirkless." 

"Quirkless?" 

"...yeah." 

"That seems like a dumb reason to make fun of someone." 

"What?" He turned to you with wide eyes. You smiled. 

"I mean, you can't help it. That's just how things are." 

"You... don't think it's...?"

"Think it's what? Funny? Sad? It's not a big deal. I'd rather be quirkless than have a quirk that turns your head into a cactus." You shrugged. 

A smile graced his lips. "What's your name?" He asked. 

You offered your hand. "Y/N L/N. You can call me Y/N." 

He took it. "I'm Izuku Midoriya." 

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Izuku only noticed you were asleep when he was mid-sentence, telling you about a scene before looking down at your peaceful face. You always looked so at-ease with everything around you. You had a way of making people feel safe like that, just by being yourself. He admired that. He admired everything about you. He carefully turned down the TV's volume a few notches before quietly finding his way to one of your storage closets and pulling out a blanket. He knew where everything was in your house. It was basically his second home. He gently wrapped the blanket around you, his lips still upturned softly. Slowly, he reached out a placed the back of his hand against your cheek. Your skin was so soft compared to his rough, calloused hands. 

"Still warm." He whispered before pulling back his hand and turning his attention back towards the bright TV screen. 

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(A/N) 

i really made you guys wait like 10 years for a less-than-1000-word chapter hahaha

next chapter will probably involve your hero name so if u have any suggestions please let me know! internships also coming up soon :O

thank you for reading!