Saving Me [Monoma x Reader]

o8. Two Battles

As fate would have it, I was paired up with Hagakure. We were the villains. And the heroes? Todoroki and Shoji.

"Don't worry, [L/N]! We've got this! We'll be the baddest villains they've EVER seen!!"

I couldn't help but crack a tiny smile at her enthusiasm. "Right." I was still shaken up by my run-in with Bakugo. His words still echoed in my mind.

Just as Hagakure took off towards our gate, I heard someone call out to me.

"[L/N]."

I turned, and my eyes lifted to meet with Todoroki's. Shoji had already left, too. It was just us.

There was a seriousness in Todoroki's gaze that told me everything about why he came to speak with me before our match. The words that left his mouth only solidified his resolve. "We may be classmates, but that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you. Come at me with everything you've got."

A pause hung in the air as we stared at one another. There was no animosity between us, but there was an understanding that we would be fighting against each other.

"Just so you know, I want to become the number one hero, so I won't be pulling any punches," he added.

This was getting really serious, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intimidated. I know it wasn't his intention to scare me, but how was someone like me going to win against him? Not only was he strong, but he was aiming for the very top, which meant that his ambition was much stronger than mine, too.

I nodded. "Then... may the best heroes win."

My breath shuddered as Hagakure and I moved into position to defend the warhead. I was nervous, not because of the fight itself, but because of who we were up against. Even if Hagakure and I had a plan laid out, I still wasn't sure if I had what it took to go up against Todoroki. Not to mention, I wasn't completely focused on the task at hand with my mind still worrying about what Bakugo spat at me earlier.

I really was a useless and pathetic coward. If I couldn't even effectively stand up against someone who pushed me around, how the hell was I going to fight against villains? All throughout middle school, I thought I could just make a point by speaking through my actions, but Bakugo clearly proved that my method wouldn't work with him. I didn't want to go so far as to say that he was villain-like, at least not out loud, but if actions alone weren't enough for him, then that meant actions alone wouldn't be enough for villains either. I'd have to speak up, like Todoroki and Hagakure have, and I was learning this more quickly than I would've liked.

"Hagakure, LOOK OUT!"

Blasting myself into the air, I hovered above the ground for a brief moment as ice suddenly and completely encapsulated our room.

"Crap..!"

I cursed underneath my breath as I landed on the ice, taking care in how I positioned myself so that I wouldn't slip. I could see Hagakure's footprints in the glassy, frozen water.

"Agghh! [L/N], I'm stuck!"

A few moments later, Todoroki strode in from the shadows of the building, a white cloud of cold air drifting from his mouth and his body half-covered in ice. His eyes flicked over to where Hagakure's footprints were, and we all could hear her teeth clattering.

"Come on, [L/N]. Let's finish this. You and me."

I grit my teeth in silence as Todoroki and I had a stare down. With fists clenched by my sides, I tried to come up with something that would stall him for the next few minutes. As long as I could keep him away from the warhead, then we would win. But then that meant I also had Shoji to worry about, too. Could I somehow break Hagakure out? No... my hands were already full with Todoroki. Chances were pretty slim.