Saving Me [Monoma x Reader]

14. Friends

"You should've seen yourself! You were like... 'GET. LOST!' And then WHAM!!" Hagakure imitated a dramatic punch and threw an invisible fist into the air. For all I knew, she could've thrown her middle finger to the wind and I wouldn't have even realized it. "I don't know if you heard us since we were wayyyy on the other side of the hallway, but we were like 'YEAHHH!!!! TAKE HIM DOWN, [L/N]!!! WOOOOO GO GIRL!!!'

"We all supported you," Todoroki confirmed.

Somehow, the thought of Todoroki cheering with the rest of the girls shook me a bit. I think it was very unlikely that he did, but I'm sure he cheered for me in his own way, so I was glad to have his support, too.

"Uh-... I um... I don't really know what came over me." I nervously palmed the back of my neck.

A part of me was worried that Monoma would run off and snitch on me. It seemed like something he would do. But, another part of me was worried about myself. I had never thrown a punch at someone in retaliation before, at least not outside of training.

"But you were so cool, [L/N]!!! You should let that side of yourself out more often!"

Todoroki nodded. "I agree. With control, that kind of mettle will get you far."

Todoroki walked Hagakure and me to the train station, but he had somewhere else to be so he had to part ways. "You two be safe. See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Todoroki!! You be safe, too!" Hagakure waved.

"Yeah. See ya," I said with a small, yet warm smile.

"Ohhh, wait, wait, wait! Before we split, let's all trade numbers!!!"

Todoroki blinked. Then I blinked.

"Sure," he said. He pulled out his phone, and we all got each other's contact information.

Sometimes, I wondered how Todoroki could be so okay with some things, but then be deadass serious with others. I guess we all had our different sides.

Hagakure chattered during the entire ride, but I didn't mind it at all. In fact, I actually really enjoyed her company, just the same as I enjoyed Todoroki's, even though the two of them were complete opposites.

"Hey... Hagakure?"

"Oh! Yeah?" she piped.

"...Thanks."

The collar of her uniform coat bent a bit, and I imagined that she had tilted her head. "Huh? For what?"

"Uh-... just... for having my back. Like when you stood up against Bakugo for me right before the Battle Trials. And when you stood by me with the other girls as M-" Just saying his name made me want to puke. "As... M-Monoma... came along..."

"Hey, that's what friends are for!!! Like I said, I'm here for you. You can always count on me!"

I could feel my mouth curving up into a wide smile as my heart filled with warmth. Not only did Todoroki call me a friend today, but Hagakure did, too.

"Wow!!! [L/N], you should smile like that more often! Combined with unleashing your fiery side, you'd be a force to reckon with!!"

My mouth immediately shrunk from a smile into a tiny dot and I blinked. "H-... huh?"

"Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror? You shine when you smile, [L/N]!!! So you should do it more often! And kick Bakugo's and Monoma's butt while you're at it, too. Show the world how beautiful and cool you are!"

My face contorted into confusion and I was overwhelmed. This level of praise was beyond me.

"A-Ah, well. I don't think-"

"Trust me, [L/N]!!! Show them your smile-" She paused and put a thoughtful hand on her chin. Or cheek. I wasn't really sure. "Actually, I don't know about Bakugo since he'd just about fight anyone whether they're smiling or not, but if you show Monoma, that boy will instantly know that he's the one who's a pile of trash! And if he has anything to say back, just punch him in the face again!"

I admired Hagakure for her spunk. It was no wonder that she got into U.A. I imagined that she was like one of those bop bags. If someone punched her, she'd swing right back up to knock them back twice as hard.

What I wanted to tell her was that I'd probably never smile at people like Bakugo and Monoma, but I understood what she was going for and took her words to heart. If anything... maybe I could smile more around my friends. I didn't realize how long it had been since I felt this way, and it was... really nice.