Chapter 41: Pre-fight talk

I can't believe this is actually happening. Me against the 3 of them? This is not going to end well.

"Deku!" Uraraka called running up to him.

"Ochako what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the stands with the rest of the class?" Deku asked.

"Nice to see you too" she replied sarcastically.

"Sorry I guess I should've greeted you first huh?" he apologised realising he'd come across as a little bit rude.

"Yes you should have. We really need to work on your manners" she teased grinning at him.

"Ha ha very funny" he said disapproving of her attitude.

"I know I'm just hilarious. Let's try again shall we? Hey boyfriend" she said smiling and waving a hand at him.

"Hey girlfriend" Deku replied going along with her little act for her amusement. That and he needed something to distract him or make him or at least make him feel less nervous in some way.

"I came to wish you luck before the fight. You know because I looove you" she said playfully enjoying the time she had to tease him.

"Oh gee thanks girlfriend. I just looove you too" Deku replied keeping up the act. It was at this moment that Deku suddenly realised how nervous she was. Her smile seemed forced. She couldn't stay still she was extremely fidgety.

Is she putting on this act for my sake?

"Ochako what's wrong?" Deku asked.

"Hm? Nothing" she lied. Deku knew her too well and saw right through her act.

"Look I know when you're lying. What's up?" he asked again.

"Fine. I'm worried about you" she admitted.

"Are we really going to have this conversation again?" Deku asked.

"I know I know but I can't help it Deku. Every time you're in a fight I get worried. Even before we started dated I was scared for your well-being because I know how competitive you are and you had a tendency for overdoing it just to secure yourself a win. It's a lot different now that you can control your quirk but even still I worry about you. You understand right?" Uraraka asked now concerned that he thought she was too overprotective. He didn't say anything. Instead he did something else to let her know everything would be ok and that he understood. He simply hugged her. For a moment she was surprised and didn't know what to do but she quickly flung her arms around him and returned the embrace burying her face into his chest enjoying the feeling of being held.

"I love you" Deku whispered. She started to tear up.

"I love you too Deku" she whispered back. Deku almost didn't hear her as her voice was muffled since it was buried in his chest.

"Hey do you want to wait with me? I'd hate to be alone for the next half an hour" Deku asked his voice as soft as possible. He knew full well she didn't want to leave him alone. That and he was being serious too he didn't want her to go just yet either and he wanted someone to keep him company before the fight started.

"Mm-hm" was all she could muster as she nodded her head still burying it into his chest.

She's so cute

They entered the waiting room and both sat down at a table. For a moment they didn't say anything or even look at each other.

"I can't believe this is happening" Uraraka said finally.

"Which part?" Deku asked still in disbelief himself.

"Where to start Deku? The fact that UA released the footage of our training to the public yesterday. In the space of 24 hours they organised this event and sold tickets to the public for a sell out fight. Why are you even doing this fight on a global stage why not in the training arenas at UA? What's the point of broadcasting this all over the world? I thought it was just going to be another training exercise or something behind closed doors to prove who was the strongest student at UA" Uraraka asked full of questions about why UA had decided to broadcast the event to the world and make them fight in the arena they'd used for the sports festival.

"It sends a message" Deku replied.

"What message? Doesn't it just give villains a chance to study you and find weaknesses in your fighting style?" Uraraka asked.

"Yes it does but the point is it shows villains how strong the next generation are. Bearing in mind we haven't finished our time at school yet so we're not even close to the finished article. It's a warning to future and existing villains that we're strong and growing every single day. Put it this way if I beat the big three today who are all in their final year and I'm only just finishing my first...it gives villains something to worry about. I'm not bragging either if any first year is powerful enough to defeat the top 3 students on their own before they've even finished their first year at UA who knows what they'd be capable of by the end of their time at UA. I think that's the point of today. To showcase my power and the capabilities of my quirk. Regardless of whether I win or lose. All Might and the rest of the teachers at school clearly think I'm going to put up a tough fight or it's at least going to be close. I guess now it's just up to me to do my best and win this battle" Deku said clenching his fist with the usual determined look in his eyes when he got like this.

"Deku you don't have to win this fight today. Just do your best. Like you said regardless of whether you win or lose today it's about sending a message of how powerful you are before you've even finished your first year. If you lose but put up one hell of a fight today the whole world will see your strength and respect that. So you don't have to win today. You have nothing to prove. Just go out their and do your best" Uraraka said trying to convince him that giving his all was enough.

He doesn't need to overdo it just to win all the time. He needs to accept that sometimes you have to accept defeat. That sometimes in life you lose.

"Thanks but you're wrong. I have to win" Deku replied looking up at her.

"Deku please. Don't do this to yourself. Sometimes you lose in life and that's ok. Sometimes you have to accept defeat as long as you know you gave your all and there was nothing more you could have done then that's enough" she tried to convince him.

"I know that Ochako. But I'm sorry I have to win" Deku said his voice weak and pained. Hearing this Uraraka knew she was getting at something deeper than just his desire to be the best.

"Ok I get it you're aiming for the top so you can't settle for simply trying your best you have to win. I understand that. It makes sense. But it's more than that isn't it Deku?" she asked sensing a moment to get him to open up about some deeper and surpressed feelings he'd clearly had for a long time.

"Because...I can't...lose...not anymore...not again..." Deku barely got the words out as his head dropped down to look at his feet as he began to tear up. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to tell her it was nothing to just move on and forget about it but something made him want to admit his biggest secrets and his deepest feelings. He couldn't keep this from her. Something about her made him want to tell her everything. How until he came to UA his life had been loss after loss. Defeat after defeat. He wanted to tell her how he really got his quirk. Despite what his head was telling him he didn't listen to it. Right now he was going to let his heart do the talking.

"Deku-" Uraraka began wanting to ask more but she was cut off.

"Would Izuku Midoriya please make your way to the arena entrance. Would Izuku Midoriya please make your way to the arena entrance. Thank you" a voice said over the tannoy.

"Yeah yeah I heard you the first time" Deku said regaining his focus and forgetting about all the emotions he had felt just a moment ago. Right now it was time to fight and he needed to keep his head in the game.

"Can we talk about it later Deku?" Uraraka asked not wanting to just leave the conversation there.

"Yes of course. I think it would be good for me to talk about it with you. Right now I need to focus though" Deku replied knowing he needed to get these things off of his chest.

"That's perfectly fine you've got a fight to win" Uraraka said getting hyped up for this herself now.

"Wish me luck" Deku said making his way to the door. However Uraraka stopped him by spinning him around and pulling him into a kiss. He closed his eyes happily falling deeper into the kiss. They held it for a few moments happy as can be. The world could end right now and they'd be happy. Whenever they kissed all of their troubles were forgotten. They felt nothing but joy. Eventually they pulled back both of them opening their eyes halfway and their lips still slightly parted wanting to interlock all over again.

"You don't need luck. You're gonna go out there and kick their asses. Like the sexy, handsome, intelligent badass you are" she said hyping him up. Deku was a little surprised by how intense she was being but it was working he felt even more determined to win this fight than before.

"Right. I'm gonna show them who the new number 1 is" Deku said grinning.

"That's my man..."