Chapter Text
"I got a new bet for you, if you're interested. Lots of points to be earned. This one is an 'untouchable'."
Hitoshi looked at Denki. Sero happily slapped his hands on the table in giddiness and Mineta was grinning, clearly the three were in on it. Hitoshi poked at his food. "Not another fat chick." He groaned. "I almost didn't recover from the last one." Hitoshi grumbled a little.
Hitoshi liked their bets, the bets were fun. The bets started innocently enough at the start of the school year, typical 'I bet you to chug ketchup.' normal things, but as the year prolonged Denki, Hitoshi, Hanta, and Minoru… expanded a bit. Points were added for fun. Then it just kept escalating and the points started to hold weight. A certain amount of points could earn the holder a pretty good prize if redeemed. Hitoshi once accumulated so many points he had Denki buy him a brand new video game, but with this point system things had to change. The bets couldn't be 'drink a bottle of ketchup'. Oh no.
The bets started to surround the girls of UA. Nobody inside of their class or even 1-B because the girls were often cold to their advances. Good thing UA was such a huge school with lots- lot of girls wanting to get with future heroes. So, the bets changed for good.
Someone bets one of them to go on a date with a girl and each girl is to be ranked.
-Goddess
-Model in training
-Meh
-Mommy says I'm beautiful
-Untouchable.
Those with the highest points are 'Goddess' which is rare and 'Untouchable' which isn't rare. In fact a lot of untouchables are more than happy to receive the attention of a hero class student. The problem? They were untouchables. The girl was the worst of the worst, the fat girl, the weirdo, the girl nobody ever wanted to be with. Ever.
"No-no-" Denki laughed. "Not fat. That one." Denki pointed his chopsticks in a direction that made Hitoshi turn and look. There, sitting with Neito Monoma at a table all to themselves sat a girl.
This girl was not untouchable. The opposite actually, Hitoshi would even be bold to say that she could almost be a Goddess. Her hair was wavy and put up into a high ponytail that grazed her shoulders. She had freckles all over her face and body. She wasn't fat but she was kinda scrawny. The only thing that was a little off putting was her chubby chipmunks cheeks. If her face slimmed down she'd be a solid ten. At least in Hitoshi's eyes. "What's wrong with her? How is she untouchable?"
"Yeah, that's a hottie." Minoru observed as well.
Denki had an air of excitement about him as he leaned in, his grin going almost manic. "Quirkless." He whispered the word like it was a forbidden word. "She's a null, dude."
"Ohhhh." The three of them, Hitoshi, Hanta, and Minoru all spoke their understanding at once.
"Damn." Hitoshi said with a grunt. "A null? Man, I don't want to associate with those types." He grumbled. Yeah, he had issues with his own quirk but at least he had a quirk.
"I'll triple the points, just for the fact that she's a relic. Whatta say, buddy?" Denki asked with a cheeky grin.
"Triple?" He perked at the promise. "If you triple the points then… I'd have enough to make one of you, or all of you, buy me the newest console."
"Oh. Aiming high?" Denki asked. "Well if you want that console then let's set some more ground rules?"
"I'm listening."
"Three dates, at least must be had. You have to kiss her on the mouth and have several pictures of you and her on your dates."
"...Do I ask about sex?"
"Nah, I'm not heartless, buuuuut if you sleep with her, and that's a big if there, buddy-" Hanta giggled a little, and so did Hitoshi, as did Denki but Minoru didn't. "-I know I wouldn't, but if you do…let's see…" Denki tapped his chin and looked at the ceiling as he thought about it. "Tell you what? You sleep with her, as a bonus I'll buy you coffee and every meal for as long as we're in UA."
"You drive a hard bargain, Kaminari Denki…" Hitoshi grumbled as he thought about it.
"I dunno guys…" Minoru spoke up and sounded uncertain. "I mean usually one date isn't bad but for three and to sleep with her-"
"-Maybe." Hitoshi corrected Minoru.
"Maybe- sleep with her isn't like the other times. It might be a bit much."
"Nonsense. You know you'd try and bag her if you could."
"Well, yeah, but I'd bag any girl. Quirk or no quirk. She's a total hottie." Mineta looked at the girl, god, what was her name?
Denki rolled his eyes. "That's why I'm not choosing you. This is a once and lifetime moment for us! This is a Null. The only Null in UA. It has to go to someone she won't shoot down. So it can't be Hanta or even myself. It has to be Hitoshi."
"And you're choosing me because?" Hitoshi raised an eyebrow at Denki in question.
"Because you and her have something in common. You were rejected for your quirk and she doesn't have a quirk. You both know discrimination and she'll fall like putty at your feet. I'm sure of it. She wants someone she can connect to and you're the one."
"She seems rather close to Monoma and I know for a fact that the trust fund baby and her have nothing in common." Hanta huffed a laugh as he shook his head.
"Yeah well it makes sense that a freak attracts a freak." Denki said and then put his chopsticks down. "Besides, look at them. Those are friends. You got a chance, Hitoshi. Go for it."
Hitoshi leaned back into his chair and tapped his fingers on the table as he looked at the girl. "She got a name?"
"Midoriya is her last name."
"Midoriya…Okay. I'm down."
"Aight, but before we shake on it, you sure? You know what happens if you ever try to back out before the requirements are met." Denki extended his hand out but still retracted it before Hitoshi could shake.
"If the deals of a bet are not met-" Hanta raised a finger as he gave Hitoshi a reminder. "-Each and every one of us will kick you in the balls."
"Thank you for that reminder…" Hitoshi rolled his eyes. "Let's do it." He then shook Denki's hand.
Denki grinned. "Good, remember, at least three dates, pictures as proof, there must be mouth kissing and, oh, one more rule I'm adding. If you sleep with her, proof so we know you aren't lying. It can be as simple as a picture or as complicated as you want."
Hitoshi rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll have her dating me by the end of day." He said matter of factly.
"I'm sure you will-" The bell above their heads rang and their little group quickly got up and got ready to go back to class. "Just know this, I hear she's wicked smart. Use that to your advantage."
By the end of class Denki slid a notebook on Hitoshi's desk and winked at him. "You know what to do."
Of course he did, Denki, despite being an idiot in some ways, was smart in others, like instead of talking about bets he demanded written confirmation so nobody could back out. Hitoshi opened the notebook and read the contract.
I, Hitoshi Shinsou, have agreed to date an untouchable- Midoriya- and Per-our agreement Hitoshi will go on three dates and will provide pictures as proof. All of this for triple the amount of points.
Should he sleep with her, and provide proof as such, then I, Kaminari Denki, owe Hitoshi a meal and a coffee every day for as long as we're at UA.
Should Hitoshi fail to complete the bet- not including rejection- then the three of us, Mineta, Sero, and Kaminari are allowed to kick Hitoshi in the balls.
Please sign here and understand that all parties involved are in agreement.
Kaminari Denki.
Mineta Minoru.
Sero Hanta.
And Hitoshi signed his name without a second thought.
In this notebook was every single contract they made to date. It was their book. It even had their code explained in great detail in the very front. The book was only halfway filled, but damn there were some memories in here. "Alright, Midoriya, you're gonna win me a gaming console."
To say Izumi Midoriya had a difficult life since she was four was a bit of an understatement, but still she was going to smile everyday. After all, it's gotten a little better day by day. It was a steep climb for sure.
Bakugo once best friend turned bully then back to friend, it's a long story but he was making strides in bettering himself even if he was still keeping his distance from her. He wouldn't explain why he had a sudden change of heart, but Izumi had to guess it was the sludge villain that held him hostage. She had just come home from school when that had gone down. Bakugo was close to losing his life and even lost consciousness, thank god someone- some kid- showed up and saved him.
Bakugo came to her the next day, Inko was gone and it was a sunday, and he just hugged her around her waist. "...I'm sorry…" He whispered in a weak croak. She just…ran her fingers through his hair and let him hang off of her.
Still, a distance was kept between the two. Mainly because Neito wasn't too keen on forgiving Bakugo.
Then there was Neito.
Oddly enough if it wasn't for Bakugo being a bully, Izumi never would have met Neito. Izumi was being chased by Bakugo and his gang in middle school and…well…they caught her. It wasn't fun as they kicked and beat her into the ground, but suddenly Neito rounded the corner with his cell phone in his hands with emergency services just one click away. The gang dispersed and Neito helped Izumi to her feet, and later helped bandage her. It was there, in his bedroom did he learn of her quirklessness and why she was being kicked so viciously.
He was the first person to not shun her. Instead he actually helped raise her up. "You're too much of a target, here's how you get bullies off of your back." His advice? Act crazy. Act like you're into that type of shit and they'll usually leave you alone after all it's worked for him so far.
Yeah, he forgot he was talking to Izumi Midoriya, the embodiment of a newborn kitten. Acting insane wasn't exactly in the books for her. Regardless of that Neito did help and build up her confidence if just a little and she was thankful for that. If it wasn't for Neito…Izumi wasn't even sure she'd be here by now. Neito and his family helped her in ways she could never repay.
His parents, Ryou and Kathrine Monoma, were the nicest people she's ever met. They were just so happy that Neito had a friend, which told Izumi that she and Neito were a lot more alike than not. Still, throughout their first year as friends they only grew closer together. His parents loved her and his mother often commented on how polite Izumi always was and even said that Izumi was like the daughter she always wanted.
He even walked her home almost every night to stave off any more attacks. But Neito couldn't be there all the time and it showed.
Then, one day everything changed when Izumi came by his home covered in burns and her uniform in tatters. "Enough of this bullshit!" Kathrine yelled in frustration and for a fearful moment Izumi thought she had done something wrong. She had not. Kathrine told Izumi that she wasn't mad at her, but rather at her school and something was going to change.
Kathrine called Izumi's mother up and the two of them had a very long conversation while Izumi and Neito went out for ice cream.
When they came back there was news. "You're being pulled from Aldea." Kathrine told her matter of factly after Izumi and Neito returned. "We're paying for you to go to the same school as Neito."
"But ma'am-"
"Ah-ah." Kathrine put her finger up and shushed Izumi. "I've talked to your mother about this. We can't have you at that god awful school any longer. You mean a lot to us, so, starting next week you'll be transferred."
And so, Izumi was pulled from Aldea before her first year even ended. Her mother was…less than happy. When Izumi returned home the silence was loud. "Sit." Inko demanded and Izumi would.
To make a long, and tear-filled conversation short, her mother was unhappy about being indebted to the Monoma's because of Izumi. "You're going to pay them back, do you understand me? So you better not waste this opportunity. No more hero talk. Get a realistic job." Was her mothers final words before they parted ways for the night. Ever since that night it's been… vacant between Izumi and her mother. The love was gone. Izumi knew Inko was just waiting until her eighteenth birthday at this point.
Still, through hard work she made it into UA's general education. Izumi may not have what it takes to be a hero, but she was going to go into quirk analysis, but that's not what she told her mother. Izumi said she was going to be a lawyer and needed a good education. What school is better than UA? Her mother accepted this without a fuss.
When the dorms were implemented her mother didn't fight it. Izumi was grateful for the dorms but…
UA didn't accept her for being the only quirkless student that's for sure. She was forever thankful for Neito. Like she said, if it wasn't for Neito she wasn't entirely sure she'd be here. Not just in UA but…here.
Most just left her alone and that was fine. On occasion she'd get someone to ask her what it was like to be quirkless, but nobody wanted to be her friend that's for sure. She had Neito. She didn't need anyone else. Right now she was walking back to the dorms, ready to call it a night and watch some hero videos for the analytics-
"Hey, Midoriya, right?"
Izumi looked over her shoulder and saw one of the hero course students. No one in Neito's class but one from 1-A. The class that Neito seemed to have a vendetta against. This boy was tall, taller than her by a good few inches. He had pale skin, lilac eyes and hair to match. His hair stood up on its own. He had eyebags under his eyes making him look rather tired.
Izumi smiled at him. "Yep. That's me." She said matter of factly as she kept walking.
"Hey, sorry I never introduced myself, I'm Shinsou, I'm from class 1-A" He had a smile on his face as he spoke to her and she nodded.
"Nice to meet you, how can I help you?"
"Well you see…I need some help-" Shinsou got close to her and if there's one thing Neito taught Izumi it's how to ask for personal space. With no hesitation she sped up so he was no longer in her space.
"-Then ask." She said rather bluntly.
"Uh…well, you see I'm behind in my studies and I heard you were like 'wicked smart' or something like that." He told her and she almost stopped walking.
Well, this was welcomed. Shinsou caught right back up to her but stayed out of her space. "What subjects are you failing in?" She inquired cautiously.
Her cautiousness was met with a raised eyebrow as it was clear he caught on to it. "Uh. Math and English."
"Hm, I suppose I could help you." Izumi happened to excel in english, math was a little iffy but she was still getting A's.
"Good, we can do it tonight-"
"-Not tonight, I have plans. Tomorrow if anything at the library after school." Her tone was purposely short and clipped. "Now if you excuse me." She sped up her walking again and then kept going.
"R-...Right, see you then." Shinsou mumbled as he just watched her go.
Izumi learned long ago not to trust rando's in the school yard that just approaches. She may not be in Aldera but didn't mean anything. There was no way she was just going to go to this guy's dorm. She may be quirkless but she wasn't an idiot. Far from it. Besides, she wasn't lying to him. She did have plans. She and Neito were going to watch a bunch of old hero fights together and maybe a movie. She didn't know but either way she was comfortable with it.
When she returned to her dorm, nobody else was bugging her or really giving her the time of day, Neito was already sitting on her bed. "I brought snacks!" He announced with a smile and Izumi smiled back.
"I'm glad." She shut the door and took her shoes off. Together the two of them got comfortable on her bed with him resting his head in her lap as her TV played. It was a comfortable familiarity as she played with his hair. She then stopped and frowned when she saw the bruise on his neck. Gently she touched it. "Kendo?" She inquired when he winced.
"Yeah…" Neito whispered before holding on to her middle. "Yeah." He repeated this time sounding sadder as his voice muffled against her stomach and curled around her. She just patted his hair.
Like Izumi, friends weren't exactly easy to come by for Neito. They were really the only two they had throughout middle school and UA and that's what made their relationship strong. They only had each other during these dark hours and so they had to look out for each other when the time called for it. It's also why both were wary of others. "It's okay…" She told him as he continued to hold on to her. "It's going to be okay. I'm here." and she meant every word.