→ ACTION! HERO! MOVIE! GIRL! → bnha

08. all that glitters isn't ice

❝ [¡! ੈbam✩‧₊pow˚¡!] ❞

"ʜᴇʏ ᴛᴏᴅᴏʀᴏᴋɪ-ꜱᴀɴ."

Shoto glances at Araceli, who holds her finger to her lips gently, leaning back in her seat. She's stopped worrying.

He can see the slightest curve of her lips hiding behind her hand.

"I know who's going to win."

Shoto shrugs, "Well, it's obvious. It's going to be Bakugo and Ii-"

"Uraraka-san and Midoriya."

"What?", Shoto looks at her with an incredulous expression. Is she kidding? She has to be. Uraraka and Izuku are so disadvantaged it's ridiculous. There's no way that they'll win. It's impossible. 

Araceli's smirk widens, "Just watch. You'll see."

Shoto highly doubts it.

Shoto watches as Araceli's confident expression fades it a frown as the class watches Bakugo's finger rest on the trigger of his gauntlet, aiming fire straight at Midoriya.

"Bakugo don't do it!", All Might frantically shouts into his communication device, "You'll kill him!"

Araceli scoffs, and she mutters just barely loud enough for Shoto to hear her say, "He'll be fine as long as he dodges..."

"What?"

Araceli's frown deepens, "That's what he said."

The class gasps as Bakugo let's go, a great explosion erupting from his gauntlet-- straight at Midoriya.

Araceli doesn't look surprised like everyone else. Shoto thinks he sees... disappointment? But an odd sort of kind. Like she was hoping for her prediction of the situation was going to be wrong but knew that it would go exactly the way she thought it would. Like she set herself up to be disappointed.

"Surprised?"

Fuyumi looks like that a lot.

Araceli doesn't say anything for a long moment, watching her friend desperately scramble away and nearly get burnt to bits each time Bakugo attacks. She is unfazed by the building shaking.

"...No," there it is, that look, "He has always played well in the role of a villain."

Shoto hum, 'Oh. History. And not the friendly kind between Midoriya, Castillo and Bakugo."

"I see..."

Shoto watches as Araceli now grips her arms tightly, her jaw clenched, each time Midoriya takes a blow her eyebrows twitch, furrowing deeper and deeper.

"Come on. Midoriya get up. Get up. You can do it...", she whispers. 

Shoto notices how each blow he takes she reacts to it, like she can feel it herself. Though, most of the class winces at the brutal and borderline cruel one-sided fight.

When Midoriya swings his arm, Araceli abruptly stands, "It's over," she states-- her frown deeper than ever as she watches the screen for one more second.

Araceli runs out of the monitoring room.

Shoto watches her and notices how he is the only one who notices her leave.

Araceli feels the ground shake and her stomach lurch as she watches rubble fall from the building, glass shattering as a monstrous gust of wind explodes from the building.

There's no fire, so it must be Izuku.

Araceli creates her DIY hover board and floats herself to the building, going up floor by floor to looks for her friend.