『Hakari Kotaro - Infirmary』
Ow...
"Stop whining you big baby, if you were scared of the pain you should have dodged. Honestly, what were you thinking?"
Recovery Girl berated me as I wrapped gauze around my chest over the ointment. It felt sore and bruised, badly. It hurt slightly to breathe, but I was fine otherwise, nothing that would impair my ability to fight all that much. There was a big difference between injury and impairment. I refused her healing as I needed to conserve as much energy as possible and hers tired the recipient out.
"A sacrifice I had to make. Todoroki will be a tough fight, I need all the energy I can save. If getting hurt can conserve energy, it will be what I'm doing."
She sighed and shook her head.
"I say you've been getting hit in the head too much; people shouldn't think like that."
I shook my head.
"I'm not people. Anyway, gotta go, Toga's match is gonna begin after they fix the arena, and I can't miss it."
She shrugged her shoulders and jumped back onto her stool.
"Oh well, you know your body well enough, to an annoying amount really. Just don't push yourself too hard, or I'll be beating your back into sleep with my cane after I heal you."
Giving a nod in acknowledgement of her words, I threw on a spare gym uniform top and left the clinic. But as I walked down the corridors, I turned the corner and almost bumped into a man who completely towered even above me.
"There you are."
"...There I am indeed."
The man whom I nearly bumped into stood a full head over me, dressed in dark blue spandex with bulging muscles and fire motifs as well as a full fire mustache and beard, yet despite the proximity, the fires did not feel that hot. His clear blue eyes like one bastard I knew well enough pierced into me as he crossed his arms.
Endeavor.
"Hakari, is it? Good, it seems I've finally found you. I wanted to have a word with you."
His deep voice echoed in the hallway, and I couldn't help but reevaluate his mental image in my mind. The man across from me was the number 2 hero. And someone who could turn me to ash with a flick of his wrist a thousand times over.
Of course, I wasn't exactly scared, no matter how skilled he was at competitive domestic abuse, this guy was still a hero who took his job way too seriously to hurt a civilian other than his direct family. So I just shrugged my shoulders.
"Well, I'm listening."
He tilted his chin up.
"You are the number one in your class despite Shoto's attendance, and you have proven yourself quite skilled to deserve that spot for now. But only because Shoto refuses to use his flames."
I quirked an eyebrow. Was this bastard here to just brag about his son?
"You are entitled to your own opinion, regardless of how wrong it might be."
Endeavor tilted his head and looked wholly unimpressed by my retort.
"I didn't come here to discuss semantics. You're going to face Shoto in your next round, and in a misguided attempt to spite me, he refuses to use his flames. I want you to get him to use his flames. If you do so, I will offer a chance to intern at my agency, and I will also give you 5,000,000 yen on top of that."
My left eye twitched. I had to struggle hard to resist the urge to flip the finger at him like an indignant child. But I was better than that, for now.
This bastard, was he saying these things intentionally to annoy me? Treating me like I was a stepping stone for his damn kid, like father like son. The apple did not fall far from the tree despite how many times the tree has hit it.
"How about you take that 5 million and pay a family therapist instead of trying to get strangers involved in your damn family feud, yeah?"
He frowned and took a step forward, looming over me.
"So you're saying you're fine with winning against Shoto even if he is using only half of his powers?"
I sighed, feeling my rage simmer. Instead of taking a step back, I took one forward and looked up at him, locking eyes.
"I'm saying don't involve me in your shitty family problems. I don't know why he won't use his flames, and I don't care. I don't care if it's a family problem between you two. If you want your family problems solved, you are his father; solve them yourself. Don't bother his classmates for it."
Endeavor narrowed his eyes at me, but I had already said my piece, so I just walked past him, and turning the hallways, I came face to face with Endeavor junior leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and brooding. Eavesdropping on the conversation like a little creep.
"Hakari I wo-"
"Zip it, I don't care why you want to spite your father, I don't care why you won't use your flame. Save the melodrama."
His jaw tightened, but he did not retort as I walked past him too and reached the stands with my mood fouler than before. At least the reception here was far warmer.
"You're back already? Dude, you took such a big hit, even I wouldn't be able to get up after that, so manly!"
"That was so cool, Hakari-kun!"
"Yeah! You beat him up real good!"
I furrowed my brows at the enthusiastic welcomes.
'Is it alright to say that? He is sitting right there.'
Bakugou was sitting at the corner of the stands, with everyone leaving at least a 2 chair gap between him and them, almost like bullying expect it was for their own safety. Though, surprisingly, Bakugou did not seem like he was about to snap, but instead incredibly frustrated, like someone just entered the bathroom he was about to go into while he had diarrhea.
Our eyes locked, and Bakugou glared at me, but instead of shouting at his usual volume of 300%, he simply turned his head away and sank further into his seat.
Damn, he was hit that hard, huh? It's got to be one hell of an ego check to drop out of the first round, but who knows, maybe this will be good for him.
I nestled into the front seat and crossed my arms while listening to the others talk. I wanted to roll the Platinum Ability so badly, but I had a feeling that if I did not get another dose of Toganium, it wouldn't have the desired outcome.
"You came just in time! Toga-chan is about to start her round against Todoroki-kun."
Listening to Midoriya ramble, I did not reply and instead just nodded curtly. This was going to be hard to watch.
I knew Toga was strong, and she was capable, but this was Todoroki. And he did not seem like he was in a mood to be holding back. She was tough but...
Fucking dammit man, I didn't want to see her get hurt.
It was a stupid feeling, but it was what I couldn't help but feel as she walked up to the stage, dressed in her uniform and holding her head high. She was capable; she has been through more danger before, and Todoroki knew how to hold back.
As Present Mic yelled, I was still deep in thought. I myself had hurt Toga worse in our first encounter, probably. Why was I being so weird about this?
""AND... START!""
I couldn't hear what was happening down there in the stage, but I could see Todoroki's lips moving to mutter "Sorry." before.
WOOOSH!!!!
Massive.
Overkill.
With a flash of cold air, Todoroki created an iceberg so massive that it eclipsed nearly the entire arena, at least millions of tons of ice in an instant. The entire stadium plunged to the temperatures of winter in an instant. And before that ice was Toga, trembling and half stuck to the massive iceberg.
Everyone flinched from the iceberg, but I did not avert my eyes one bit.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose. My emotions were totally fried from those battles and the anticipation, weren't they?
As expected, Toga was forced to forfeit due to being frozen to an iceberg and had to be pulled out of the iceberg by Todoroki. And I had a bitter taste in my mouth as I watched her be escorted away while Todoroki melted his iceberg.
Shoto, this bastard, he was pissing me off.
It just clicked for me, just why he rubbed me the wrong way so badly.
But grudges can wait for later, there was something more important waiting for me right now.
"Huh? Hakari-kun? Where are you going?"
Momo asked as I stood up and adjusted my uniform.
"To console Toga."
⚀—⚁⚂⚃—⚄—•⚅•—⚄—⚃⚂⚁—⚀
『Himiko Toga - Infirmary』
"Waaaah... it's so cold...!"
Toga balled herself up in a cocoon of several blankets in the infirmary as Recovery Girl-sensei handed her a steaming hot cup of coffee. She felt like she was still submerged in a bath of ice despite getting out of that gigantic iceberg halfie put her in.
She grabbed the cup with trembling hands while sighing.
"Sorry Toga-chan, I can only do so much about the cold. Stay under those blankets and finish that hot coffee while your body temperature rises back up, alright? Take your time."
"Yesss ma'am..."
Toga nursed her drink as she leaned back. She thought she'd manage at least somewhat decently against Halfie, but she got totally glomped. She wanted to prove herself to Hakari and the others after managing to make it into UA, but she fumbled at the first round. She didn't expect the doom and gloom to pull out that much firepower at once. Watching Recovery Girl vacate the room, she sipped her hot coffee.
She knew better than to blame herself of course, she got super unlucky to have to face him of all people on the first round, but it didn't make her feel any less pooped. She wanted to be able to show off despite not being able to use her quirk meaningfully in the tournament, but that got snuffed out pretty quick.
"Haah, this sucks..."
"Yeah I'd bet, he did you in pretty badly. I'll have to return the favor."
"Weh!?"
Toga jumped up slightly as Hakari crawled out of the medicine cabinet, definitely using his door ability. But she did not care, as just seeing his face improved her mood by leaps and bounds; she lifted her face from her hot coffee and tried to suppress her lips trembling from the cold.
"What are you doing here, Hakari-kun? Aren't the other rounds still ongoing?"
Her handsome hunk of a boyfriend shrugged his shoulders, and, in a move that surprised even her, lifted her blanket before going inside alongside her and pulling her down into bed and into his embrace. He was being uncharacteristically proactive in the cuddling, not that she minded, the opposite really.
Hakari felt like a big soft warm teddy bear that already soothed the wounds on her heart and heated up her cold body.
...Wait, it was literally heating up her cold body. Probably his blood manipulation ability, she surmised. Whatever it was, she loved it at this moment.
She felt her body slowly but surely get warmed as he held her, and his large yet soft hands patted her hair gently.
"I don't give a damn about the other rounds right now. You are my only priority at the moment."
Toga blinked; she had never seen him so aggressively affectionate before. But the sensation of being pampered by her stupidly hot, caring, kind, cool, tasty, and awesome boyfriend was something she could not refuse as she snuggled into his embrace and nipped at his neck, drawing a little blood and slurping up the delicious nectar. She felt her heart beating like a jackhammer against his steady but strong one.
"Hmm... nice~..."
He chuckled lightly, the motion sending shivers down her spine as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Just relax, I'm staying here until my next round starts. Besides, I need my luck if I want to take revenge for you, don't I?"
Toga pursed her lips and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's torso. She had no idea why he viewed her of all people, as his good luck charm, but she would not have it any other way. She had no idea if it worked or not, but she buried her face in his large pecs and breathed into them in order to transfer her luck to him. She already knew how his quirk worked and how important this was to him.
"Good luck~."
He exhaled lightly before going still, something he usually did when he rolled. She looked up to stare at his eyes to see if he rolled anything good, or she'd have to console him.
But...
"Hakari-kun?"
His eyes were wide in pure shock as he turned his gaze from staring midair to looking at her with a bright smile.
"Toga, I could kiss you right now. And I will."
Smooch!
She tilted her head as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. She had rarely seen him this excited before, but she was delighted. She may not be lucky for herself, but if she could give her boyfriend the luck he needed, she had everything she wanted.
It felt good to have someone who felt lucky to have Himiko Toga
A/N: Hakari meets the number 1 hero of child abuse, Endeavor! And it goes about as you would expect. Later seasons Endeavor is one of my favorite characters but early seasons Endeavor is still a massive piece of shit who deserves zero slack.
Unfortunately for Toga, she really had no way to win there, Todoroki was just too strong for her on all fronts. And I decided to write the next section in her pov since I felt like it would have been way more interesting from her perspective. What did you guys think? And what do you think Hakari rolled? I'd love to know.