Violet | Shinso x OC/Reader

23 - Forgiveness

"Um, excuse me... Sorry, but I'm withdrawing."

Everyone, you included, gasped. "How could this guy give up such a rare opportunity??"

You recognize the boy as one of the members of Shinso's team in the cavalry battle. You overhear him say that he barely remembers anything from the battle until the very end. "I think it was that guy's quirk..." You followed his trail of vision to find...

"No... Shinso... You didn't..."

You couldn't believe it... You couldn't believe that your friend would go so low as to brainwash others into joining his team. You still didn't know the ins and outs of how his power worked, but something told you that this poor boy was a victim to Shinso's quirk. As people glanced in his direction, Shinso looked away and you knew that he was guilty. "Why did you do it, Shinso?"

The tail guy talks about how it would hurt his pride to continue in the games if he didn't even know how he got there. You watch as a second boy raises his hand and says that he's dropping for the exact same reason... He was another one of the boys on Shinso's team. "He brainwashed ANOTHER person?!"

You all awaited what Midnight had to say, considering the fact that she's the judge. "This sort of talk is incredibly naïve, my boys... THAT TURNS ME ON!! Shoda, Ojiro, you're withdrawn!"

"Did she say it turns her on??" You and everyone else had to ask yourselves the same question. "Midnight, I love you, but you're a little too much at times..."

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After the lots were drawn and the two vacant spots were filled, the students were released to do what they wanted before the final battles began. You ran after Shinso and stayed behind him. As soon as you both entered the tunnel leading out of the stadium, you grabbed his arm and pulled him around a corner, away from wandering eyes and ears.

"What, now you want to talk to me?" he said snarkily.

"Oh, don't turn this around on me! I know what you did to those poor guys!" He looked away and crossed his arms.

He let out a huff before responding. "Why do you care?"

"I thought you hated your quirk! Why would you go and use it on others like that?!"

"... I figured I might as well act like the villain that everyone thinks I am."

"What?? Why?"

He looked at you then, and a pained expression crossed his features. He grit his teeth. "Because one of the few people who believed in me was gone!"

"... What?" You weren't sure what he was trying to say.

He then grabbed your shoulders and looked you in the eyes. "You have no idea how much you've changed my life since we met, L/n. Before I started at UA, I had no friends. Everyone thought of me as a villain... No one believed that I could ever be a hero. You were the only one who believed in me. You were the only one who wasn't afraid of me or my quirk. You gave me a chance when no one else would..."

You felt tears creep up your eyes as he spoke... He sounded so broken. He was in pain, and you were the cause of it.

"You're the first real friend I've ever had..."

The tears began to emerge as he released your shoulders and let his hands fall to his sides.

"But then you left. I felt terrible for how I made you feel, and I wanted to make it up to you as soon as it happened. But I never got the chance. Do you know how it feels to be avoided by someone you look to for support? ... Someone you consider to be your best friend?"

You froze in place. Once again, your mind is brought back to the incident that occurred five years ago. You recall how your classmates had reacted... How you'd lost your closest friend. That feeling of loneliness had been unbearable. And now you've made someone else feel like that... Someone you hold dear.

Then you realized what he'd just said.

"He... He considers me his best friend?"

You were speechless. You wanted to say something, but no words would come out. You wanted to apologize and to forgive him for his mistake. You wanted to hug him and never let go... But you couldn't even move.

"Forget it... I don't expect you to understand or care." He waved you off and stuffed his hands into his pockets before turning around the corner.

It wasn't until he left that you fell onto your hands and knees, the concrete floor cool against the palms of your hands. You let your tears fall freely until they formed a small puddle beneath you. "I've hurt him... I've hurt him more than I ever meant to. What kind of friend am I?" You stayed like this for a moment before standing back up. "... I need to find a bathroom."

You ran along the hall until you saw a sign for a girl's restroom. Racing inside, you shut the door behind you to find a row of sinks and cubicles. You rush to one of the sinks and turn the faucet, splashing some of the cool water onto your face. Placing your hands on the edge of the sink, you cry for another couple of minutes until you hear the door behind you open and close.

"... Are you all right?" you hear a girl's voice ask.

You look up into the mirror; It was the ponytail girl that you saw during the obstacle course race. She was close to your height, and she had beautiful dark eyes. She was also wearing an orange UA cheerleading uniform for some reason. As she approaches you, you wipe the remaining tears from your eyes with the back of your hand and stare at your reflection for a few moments. "... What do you do when you've hurt someone you care deeply about?"

You weren't sure if this girl would be able to help you at all... You didn't even know her name. But you figured it was worth a shot. She seemed surprised by your question, but she put a hand on her chin as she thought for a moment.

"Hmm... Well to begin, I would ask for their forgiveness. Then I would do everything I possibly could to support them in the days to come. I remember reading a quote... It said, 'Forgiveness does not change the past... but it does change the future'. If you vow to always be there for them, then they'll be sure to forgive you."

She then reached toward her stomach, where her skin began to sparkle with bright colors. She proceeded to pull out what looked like a handkerchief. Handing it to you, she offered a warm smile. "Take this. The paper towels here are pretty scratchy... You don't want to wipe your tears with those." You carefully take the small cloth from her. It was really soft.

"Thank you... What's your name?"

"Yaoyorozu. Class 1A."

"L/n, 1C."

She gave you another smile. "It was nice to meet you, L/n. Now go get that guy's forgiveness!"

"... Wait, how'd you know it was a guy?"

"I didn't... You just told me." She gave you a smile and you couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"Thanks, Yaoyorozu."

You took the handkerchief and wiped your eyes and face before folding it and placing it in your pants pocket. You left the bathroom and after meeting up with Chikuchi, the two of you decided to hang out for a bit before the first battle, which just so happened to be Shinso's.

"He'll be battling that Midoriya guy first... I hope he does well."

         Next chapter will be the battle between Shinso and Midoriya!