Chapter Text
The first time you meet Monoma Neito, you've already decided he's an insufferable bastard. After your short-lived and unpleasant interaction with him, you know he's going to make your life a living hell. Even as a young child, you know how to separate people you like, and people you dislike. Monoma is definitely on the latter list.
It's lunch, and you find yourself kneeling on the grass with your friend Kendo, cookie crumbs long forgotten on your cheeks, squealing and giggling as the two of you fidget with your toys together. The screaming of kids and laughter envelop your surroundings, but you pay them no mind. Now that you're playing with your friend, there's nothing else that can distract you.
''Watch out!'' You mimic a deep, masculine voice as the airplane toy clutched in your hand swerves downwards, straight into your friend's collection of figurines. She gasps dramatically, before grabbing the figures and making them frantically move to the side. But she only has two hands and there are eight figurines. Her eyes widen, and she looks up to you with a grin.
''Oh no, one person’s left behind!'' She then grabbed the last figurine, squeezing it gently. ''Help! Help me!''
With a snicker, you dropped the airplane momentarily and swapped it with a superhero figurine with spiky tufts of blonde hair, sharp blue eyes, and a wide grin. Then, clearing your throat, you imitate the character's voice. ''It is fine now. Why? Because I am here!'' Just as you raise your hand with the figurine, you frown as it's suddenly torn away from your fingers.
''Huh?'' There's a pair of white sneakers at your side that weren't there before. Raising your gaze from the grass, you meet the gaze of an unfamiliar blonde boy. He looks around your age, but there's something about his eyes that makes you suspicious as if he's up to something.
Then your eyes avert to his raised hand, and you stand up quickly.
''Hey! That's my toy, give it back.'' The boy shook his head in response, a playful grin on his lips.
''No, I don't think so,'' he lowers his gaze to the toy and examines it carefully. You clench your fists, resisting the urge to stomp your feet. ''I like it, I think I'll keep it!'' He smiles and you grit your teeth in frustration.
''I don't care. It's mine, and you took it without permission. Give it back!'' Quickly losing your patience, you lunge forward and try to rip it off his hands, but the boy easily sidesteps your movement.
''My name is Monoma Neito. And yours is?'' He looks absolutely disinterested and way too cocky for a seven-year-old, which only makes you angrier.
''Y/N L/N,'' you respond, attempting to at least keep your manners intact. ''Now, can you give me back my toy, please?'' Monoma stares at you blankly for a few minutes, and you begin to shift on your feet under his silent stare. Finally, you scowl and tap your foot against the grass.
''Why are you staring at me?''
''You have food crumbs on both sides of your mouth.'' He said bluntly, and your eyes widened. Quickly lowering your head to dab at the corner of your lips, your face feels warm and hot as your fingers brush against said food crumbs.
''Are they gone?'' You ask, raising your head once you're done. But to your surprise, Monoma was nowhere to be seen. You saw a dash of blonde to your left and raced after him, muttering an apology to your friend before leaving the playground and stepping into a classroom you saw him slip into.
Your shoes slap against the grass and then the marble flooring as you step into the classroom, eyes sweeping over the entire room. There's a teacher's desk at your farthest left, with a teacher leaning against it. Then your eyes spot the familiar head of blonde ducking beneath a desk at the back of the class, and you scowl.
''Hey! Monoma! Give me back my toy!'' The boy's eyes widen in alarm and he attempts to scramble out of the desk, but you're quick to race forward and grab his arm just in time, trying to pull the toy out of his hand. But his grip is strong and determined, and both of you are grumbling and whining while fighting over the figurine.
''Kids!'' You remember that there’s a teacher in the classroom watching both of you and embarrassment along with panic washes over you. Monoma seems to realize this as well, dropping the toy from his grip. You quickly snatch it up, holding it up to your chest protectively.
''Now, what do you two think you're doing?'' The authoritative tone of the teacher makes you gulp as you turn around.
''Monoma stole my toy outside and I came here to get it back!'' You blurted out. Monoma huffed to your side, crossing his arms.
''Did not.''
''Did too!'' You quipped back, growing frustrated again.
''Alright, alright, calm down kids.'' The teacher frowned and looked down at both of you.
''I want both of you to apologize to each other. Monoma, apologize for taking Y/N's toy. Y/N, apologize to Monoma for treating him roughly.''
''What? But-!'' You protested, but the teacher silenced you with a strict stare that left no space for discussion.
You sighed, turning around to meet Monoma. ''Fine...'' Twiddling with your shirt, you frowned and met the boy's gaze. ''I'm sorry for being rough with you.'' The blonde nodded at your apology and pulled his hands out of his shorts pockets.
''And I'm sorry for taking your toy without your permission,'' he muttered, scratching his head while doing so. You nodded in acknowledgment, and the teacher clapped her hands together.
''Very well, you two! Now, please get back to your classrooms before lunch is over.'' The two of you began to walk out of the classroom when Monoma stopped at the entrance and looked towards you.
''You still have crumbs on your face.'' He noted.
''Shut up.'' You grumbled, before stomping away towards your class, Monoma's amused laughter ringing in your ears as you walked away.
«────── « ⋅✠⋅ » ──────»
In the following school years, you don't see much of Monoma. You're both in different classes and rarely see each other. But when you do, it always ends up in one of you being chased by the other, hair-pulling and grumbling, being pulled apart by a teacher, or competing over something. Your feelings towards the blonde are clear- you greatly dislike him, and you know he feels the same way. In sixth grade, Monoma declared you as his rival. You don't appreciate the title, but he isn't wrong. The two of you compete on everything, determined to outwit the other. School, friends, talent, skills, everything possible. At the beginning of the school year of seventh grade, he walks with you after school and brags about his teacher praising him for being the smartest in math. You snort and shake your head.
''Oh yeah? Well, my teacher told me I'm the smartest in all subjects.'' You quipped back. Monoma raised an eyebrow, shaking his head in belief.
''You're lying.''
''No, I'm not. You can ask her yourself if you'd like.'' The blonde narrowed his eyes at this and crossed his arms.
''Alright then. I will. But even if you are, I'm going to beat you at the science fair. You got that?''
You grinned, playfully elbowing Monoma. ''You wish! I'm going to come out of this fair as the winner in first place.''
He scoffed. ''We'll see about that.''
The days roll by quietly but faster than expected, and before you know it, it's the day of the science fair. You're feeling jittery, with your nerves buzzing and your mind all over the place. Walking at Tsuyu and Uraraka's side, the three of you enter the school's gymnasium where the science fair will take place. Out of the two topics you could choose from- you went with the solar system and all those matters. Your hands lugged your project- which if you said so yourself, was quite impressive for someone your age. With the help of your friends and your parents, you created a model that whirred and the position of the planets and their distance gradually increased or decreased between each other.
Despite feeling nervous and fearful, you swelled with pride when looking at your project. Stepping into the gymnasium, you saw Monoma talking to Tetsutetsu, but didn’t see his project at his side. Seeing how many of your classmates had already set up their projects on tables, you guessed that Monoma had done so.
With a smile, you waved goodbye to your friends and walked towards the blonde. ''Hey there. Already set up your project?'' At the sound of your voice, Monoma raised an eyebrow but turned around to greet you with a chuckle.
''Yeah, mine's set over there,'' he jabbed his thumb towards the left corner of the gym and you nodded. His eyes then trailed over your project, and you wondered what he was thinking. ''This is your project? Not bad.'' you snorted.
''Not bad? I'm sure it's way better than yours!'' you bragged. Monoma laughed, shaking his head.
''It's good, but you won't outshine me!'' He exclaimed and raised his chin, making you roll your eyes playfully.
''We'll see about that.'' You responded, before quickly walking away to get a place to set your project down.
The first few minutes which then rolled into an hour went by quickly, and you were standing stiffly, forehead slightly sweating as the teachers walked towards your stand. It's showtime, you thought.
''Hello!'' You smiled brightly and held your clipboard tightly in your hands. ''My name is Y/N L/N and today, I will be presenting my model about the solar system. With a click on the controller safely held in your other hand, the model of planets whirred to life, and you smiled.
''The solar system contains....''
« ⋅✠⋅ »
You had just wrapped up your presentation and felt absolutely exhausted. The stress you had built up over the past few weeks had finally left your body, and it felt like you could breathe again. But soon enough, all students had presented, and it was time for the results. Quickly, all the students gathered at the front of the gymnasium, standing in front of the stage. You found your shoulder bumping with a familiar blonde, and you smiled.
''Ready to see the results?'' You asked. Strangely, Monoma was rather quiet. He nodded in response and crossed his arms over his chest.
''Yeah,'' his gaze was focused on the stage. ''I'm ready.''
''Settle done, everyone.'' The middle-aged man that was your principal stood on the stage, clearing his throat at the podium.
''We have concluded the winners of this year's science fair! Even if you didn't win, don't be discouraged. All of you did a wonderful job today and I'm glad to see it.'' You tapped your foot impatiently, slowly spacing out, until you heard the words, ''And our winner in first place is...'' The principal pulled out an envelope, and you straightened your posture, fists clenched tightly in anticipation.
''Y/N L/N!''
A few students began to cheer as the principal clapped loudly. For a moment, shock is all you could feel. But you feel a gentle nudge from your side- it's Monoma. He's clapping as well, lips pursed as he smiles briefly. ''Go on then, go on the stage and get your award.'' With one last push from Monoma, you stagger forward and quickly sprint to the stage, accepting the principal's handshake and the trophy- a shiny, almost silver-like one that has your name written on it. The spotlight is slightly blinding, but you pay it no mind as you grin widely, thanking the man as you shake his hand.
The rest of the event goes by quickly and you barely process any of it. After parting ways with your friends, you're on your way home, when you see Monoma walking a few feet ahead of you. Sometimes you forget you live in a small town where you eventually bump into everyone. His head is slightly lowered and you frown. Quietly, you pick up your pace until you're walking at his side. He doesn't seem to notice you yet. Softly, you nudge him with your elbow.
''Hey,'' you say softly. ''Everything alright?''
''Huh?'' His head snaps towards you quickly, and your eyebrows furrow when you see his red-rimmed eyes. ''Oh, yeah, I'm okay. Congratulations on winning,'' the weak smile on his face makes you frown.
''Hey, don't be sad,'' his eyebrows shot upward. ''I saw your project and your presentation. It was amazing. You're really good at this, you know? You'll win next time, I know it.'' You nudge his shoulder, and he laughs briefly.
''Thanks.'' He raises his head towards the sky, quickly shifting from a warm blue to a bleeding orange.
''Any time, Monoma. But I'm not going easy on you next year. Got it?''
He smiles, and you relax as you see some light return to his eyes. ''Wouldn't dream of it.''
« ⋅✠⋅ »
Much to your surprise, there isn't a science fair next school year. Instead, it's a speech contest. Knowing you're fairly well-rounded in all subjects, you don't feel too troubled. But you know you're going to have to go all-out if you want to win against Monoma. The topic was pretty vague- any important topic you'd like to talk about. After a few hours of brainstorming, you decided to go with global warming and the environment. The contest begins in two months, and you immediately set out to prepare. After a month of research- and then tedious writing, editing, and re-reading, your speech is complete. Now, all that's left is to practice speaking it and being able to keep your crowd's attention on you.
Every Friday, you go over to Tsuyu's house and she helps you practice and provides insightful commentary. When the time of the contest arrives, you easily pass the preliminary rounds, and qualify throughout all rounds until the only competitors left are you and Monoma.
While you're proud of reaching this far, you're slightly worried. How will you fare against him? These thoughts swarm your mind, even by the time it's the day of the final rounds. You're well-dressed with the speech folded into your back pocket, palms collecting sweat as you wait behind the curtains of the stage. The same thoughts you've had for the past weeks are tormenting you, only making you feel even more nervous.
''Hey!'' A hushed whisper breaks your train of thoughts, and you look behind you. Monoma's hiding behind a curtain, his face peeking towards you.
''Monoma?'' You ask with genuine confusion. ''Aren't you supposed to be on the opposite side of the stage?'' He merely shrugged.
''Just came over to wish you luck, you'll need it against me.'' You snort and smile. He never misses the shot to be snarky.
''Thanks, I guess. Good luck to you as well.'' He smiles but then his eyes widen in shock as his name is announced on the speakers.
''It's my turn! Gotta go.'' He speaks in a hushed tone, before racing past the curtains. You laugh, shaking your head in amusement.
When he presents, you slightly open the curtains apart and spy on him. His chosen topic was the energy sources of Japan, and the impact they've had on the environment. Similar to yours, but probably more interesting to the audience, you think with a frown.
The blonde took a deep breath, closing his eyes. You clung tightly to the curtains, watching him from the dark. Then he exhaled, blue eyes snapping open and a confident smile taking over his lips. You smile and clutch the curtain a little tighter. Why was your heart beating so damn loud? It's not like you were on the stage, presenting. Then why did your heart feel it was in a frenzy?
You listened to his speech- which was quite well written and eloquent- watched how his lips moved and how words fell from them with ease, and strangely, felt your face warm. What was up with that? First, a pounding heart, and now a warm face? Were you sick?
With a quick shake of your head, you pushed the thoughts to the side and continued to peek at Monoma. His blonde hair glistened under the spotlight, and you swore you saw his light blue eyes twinkle like a pair of stars in the dark. Since when was he this....mesmerizing? You lost track of his speech as all noise around you flew over your head, and didn't snap back into reality until you saw him bow with a smile, and the roar of cheers and clapping- Monoma was done, which meant you were up next.
Monoma soon walked towards where you had been peeking through. He smiled and patted your shoulder, while you noticed a sheen layer of sweat on his forehead- had he gotten nervous during the speech? During your years of knowing Monoma Neito, you knew he wasn’t the type to get nervous often.
''It's your turn nerd- don't screw it up, alright?'' You snorted but accepted the words with a grateful smile.
''Got it.''
Taking a deep breath, you straightened your shirt and walked onto the stage, the lights blinding you momentarily. Still, you stood tall and proud until you reached the podium. Once the microphone was in your hand, you cleared your throat and smiled.
''Good morning everyone, my name is Y/N L/N and today I will be discussing our environment and global warming. So to kick off with our topic, I want to talk about...''
« ⋅✠⋅ »
A small and squeaky plastic chair isn’t your ideal seat and yet, here you were. Shoulders bumping against Monoma's as the two of you sat on the stage, anxiously waiting for the winner to be announced.
''Greetings to all my students and staff!'' The principal quickly began. ''Thank you to all the students that performed extraordinary activities today. Now, without further ado, the winner of this year's speech contest is....'' As usual, the man's voice trailed off, creating a moment of silence and tension that made your stomach twist.
''Monoma Neito! Congratulations boy, come on over and receive your award!'' Your heart drops.
But at the same time, it feels lighter when you see the look of happiness on Monoma’s face. He's grinning as he jogs towards the principal, shakes his hand and receives his award.
You're clapping with the rest of the crowd, a bittersweet smile tracing your lips.
''Good job,'' you tell the boy once he returns to his seat. ''You did great.''
''Thanks.'' And then he opens his lips, but says nothing. Clearing his throat, the blonde turns and faces you.
''Want to ditch this place and go to the ice cream parlor?'' You're taken aback, since Monoma and you don't hang out often out of school. But you smile and nod.
''Sure.''
While the principal continues to blabber about annual tests and some incidents that happened in the school recently, Monoma and you silently get up from your seats and race towards the curtains. You're pretty sure the entire school noticed when your chair groaned as you stood up, but you can't find it in yourself to care.
Giggling, the two of you race out of the school, one of Monoma's hands wrapped around his trophy, and the other one holds your hand. You don't even realize he's still holding your hand even after leaving the stage or that your face is growing alarmingly warm, heart beating fast.
When the two of you finally arrive at your destination, you're both breathing heavily, and you realize your hand has begun to sweat while running. Face heating up with embarrassment, you quickly retract it. Monoma's eyes widen, but he doesn't say anything. Without anything else to say, the two of you step into the ice cream parlor, sighing in relief as the cool A/C breeze sweeps over your sweating body.
''I won, so it's on me.'' He said as the two of you walked towards the counter. You raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was being so generous but decided to not question it.
''Alright, thanks.'' He hums in response.
''Hey, kids!'' You smile as you greet the familiar blue-eyed blonde; Mirio Togata. He's one of the young adults that live in your town and while you don't know much about him, what you do know is that he's a nice and cheerful guy.
''Hi, Mirio!'' You respond with as much enthusiasm. ''Can I get a three scoop ice cream with...'' You begin to list off your select ice cream flavors, thanking Mirio once he hands it over. Monoma is next to order and once both of you have ice creams, you walk and sit at the corner booth of the parlor.
''Thanks for the ice cream, Monoma.'' You tell him distractedly while you begin to lick and eat spoonfuls of the ice cream. He simply laughs and nods.
The ice cream makes you forget about your previous disappointment, and you wonder if that was the point of this trip. The thought of Monoma being considerate of your feelings makes your heart warm- but then so does your face, and you shake it off with a mildly disgusted expression.
''Something wrong?'' The blonde questions, resting his chin on his hand.
''Oh no, everything's alright,'' you murmured. ''Just thinking about something.'' Monoma purses his lips and stares at you. You stare back, ignoring the somersaults your heart's doing.
''What?'' For some reason, it strangely feels like deja vu.
''You have ice cream smeared on your face,'' he points at your left cheek. The hints click together and you grin and shake your head.
''No, I'm not falling for that again. One time was more than enough, okay?''
Monoma frowns in confusion and tilts his head to the side. ''What- what are you talking about?'' He sighs in exasperation, before reaching over the table. ''Here, let me do it for you.'' The blonde quickly snatches up a napkin and begins to dab at your cheek.
Your eyes widen, and your heart stutters. He's so, so close to you, you can catch a whiff of his perfume, and he's so close that you can genuinely see the pigments of baby blue in his eyes.
''There you go,'' he lowers his hand but he doesn’t move back. You gulp as his eyes continue to stare into yours. Why does Monoma like to unnerve you with his stares?
''Thanks...'' You murmur, and- did his eyes just drift towards your lips? Is he- why is he looking at your mouth? His gaze returns to your eyes and now he looks rather alarmed. ''No problem!" He nearly squeaks, reeling back into his seat.
You eat your ice cream in awkward silence and so does Monoma. Sunlight pours inside of the shop and shines on Monoma's trophy. You swallow hard, a twinge of bitterness pooling at the bottom of your stomach. The boy seems to notice your behavior change and frowns, before snapping his fingers to get your attention.
''Hey,'' you rip your gaze away from the trophy and meet Monoma's face. ''You didn't win today, but you did last time, remember? You're a worthy opponent Y/N, so don't underestimate yourself.'' You smiled.
''Don't give up, alright? I still need my rival for the next contest.'' He smiles cheekily and a small smile creeps on your lips.
''Thanks. I appreciate it.''
He nods and wipes his mouth with a napkin. ''Don't thank me, just focus on how you'll beat me next time- don't you dare think I’m going to let you win.''
You laugh loudly and lean forward, grinning with confidence. ''I wouldn't expect anything else from you, Monoma.''