Hands, put your empty hands in mine

[inheritance]

[It's only been a month since he and Mei opened up their own business, a month since graduating, and yet, the orders are already starting to pile up. Izuku supposes, he shouldn't be so surprised, with the reputation Mei built up for herself while they were in UA. Even in a Support Course as rigorous as their high school's, Mei quickly proved herself to be one of the best and brightest.

And then there's him. While Izuku knows he's no slouch when it comes to analyzing a hero's weaknesses and strengths, he also knows that he'd gotten lucky when he found a business partner and friend in Mei. Shaking his head, Izuku throws himself into his work to dispel those thoughts. Things had turned out alright in the end; that's what actually matters.]

Hooooold on, I'll be right with you. [Izuku calls, distracted, when he hears the front door open. A few more strokes of his pencil and--done! Finished with another design sketch, Izuku sets his notebook aside and stands up, looking up at them for the first time. He pauses, not even managing to get a greeting out.] ...Todoroki-kun?

Comments

[glaciers]

[ He ended up taking his sidekick days at Ingenium's hero agency. After all, Iida is one of his best friends, it would be easy to start there.

But he also needs some upgrades to his suit and there's nobody better than Mei's small business.

This particular face is less familiar to him then Mei's, but he's cute. He's very cute.]

... I've seen you before.

[Smooth.]

[inheritance]

[Hah... while a little disappointing, it's not a surprising reaction at all. Knowing how dangerous his plans for the future could be, Izuku had done his best to stay out of the spotlight while at UA--in terms of heroics, at least. The value of anonymity had been one of the first things Aizawa had reinforced over and over in his training. Izuku supposes it's a good thing he's so plain looking and easy to forget outside of his work with Mei.

And on the flip side, there's Todoroki, who's as striking and memorable as they come.]

We went to UA together. [Izuku simply opts for a lopsided smile, not taking offense at all.] What can I do for you?

[Frantically, he tries to remember if Todoroki has an appointment set up with Mei--surely he hasn't been so wrapped up in his new secret-hero work that he missed something so important in the planner?]

[glaciers]

[Ah yes, that makes sense. That's why this very fluffy head of hair looks so familiar. Though he doesn't think they've spoken to each other very much. Most of his interactions with the support department were with Hatsume.]

That's right. ... What's your name? [That seems a little rude, but not knowing his name would be worse.]

I need some upgrades to my costume. It was burned, so I need that to not happen.

[inheritance]

It's Izuku Midoriya. [Not that Izuku expects Todoroki to really remember him the next time they meet--if they meet.

Though his smile had been genuine already, it immediately brightens with enthusiasm as soon as Todoroki mentions his hero costume.]

Did you bring it with you? Let's take a look and see what upgrades we can give you.

[glaciers]

Midoriya. [He gives a little nod before handing over the briefcase with his costume in it.]

If it's possible, I'd like the vest to be better at controlling my temperature. I can do it myself, but it takes attention away from the fight.

[inheritance]

[Izuku sets the briefcase on the table and pops it open, squinting at the material in his hands.]

So... a fabric upgrade, something that will be able to withstand both your fire and ice. [Something about that makes him frown down at the costume, then back up at Todoroki.] Temperature regulation? But.. with both of your quirks, they should cancel each other out and keep your temperature relatively stable...

Ahh! Not that I'm saying there's something wrong with how you're using your quirks, of course. [Izuku stammers, immediately realizing that his words could come across as rude.]

[glaciers]

No, it's fine. You're my support, you're supposed to ask questions to improve my costume.

[Shouto takes a moment to look down at his hands and the last time he had to overuse his ice.]

I can't always use both sides of my quirk. Sometimes fire or ice is more favorable depending on the situation. But that means I could succumb to frostbite or burning.

Houou and Shouto

[glaciers]

[It's his day off, one of his few. And he's been running out of food for the last week. He doesn't tend to eat in that much, but it would be a better idea to eat in more, right? That's more healthy.

So he's out once the sun is down and at his local grocery store, packing meat and vegetables into a cart. Maybe he can make hot pot? He's heard that's not too hard for beginners.

He's at the checkout line when some masked villain crashes through the window and starts to hold up the store.

A swear under his breath. He can't work properly when he's not in his gear.]

[inheritance]

[As luck would have it, Izuku's all geared up and patrolling as Houou when the villain makes his move. Rather than bursting onto the scene immediately like he wants to, Houou crouches down on the roof across from the store and observes for a moment. Though the villain hasn't tried to take hostages yet, the last thing Houou wants to do is force the villain's hand. With his all-black costume, save for the red and gold accents, he blends easily into the night.]

Offensive quirk...spits out an acid of some kind, but his range isn't very long. Relies on a blunt weapon to intimidate instead of his quirk, so he's either saving it as a last resort or he doesn't think it's all that potent. Only weapon is a baseball bat for now, but could be hiding more on him... [Houou mutters to himself, eyes sharp as he studies the villain's movements. Finally, when the villain makes to grab a kid that gets too close, Houou tenses and reaches for his belt. Looks like his observation time is up.

After making sure his hood and mouthguard are in place, Houou jumps down from his perch, throws a smoke bomb into the store, and grabs the kid before the villain can react.]

[glaciers]

[Shouto abandons his cart. There's much more pressing things to deal with when a villain attempts to kidnap a child. But faster than he can react, a vigilante does. There's a smokescreen preventing him from properly seeing what's going on.

But with this much distraction, Shouto can at least ice the villain to the floor. The weapon was just a baseball bat. He can't do much distance fighting with something like that. Not unless he could use a form of telekineses.

For now though, the villain can't move from his current position. ]

[inheritance]

Who did that???! [The villain gives a shout of frustration when he realizes he's lost the kid, and he can't move his feet for some reason. He squints and waves his hand in an attempt to dispel the smoke.] Hey! I asked you a question!! [He punctuates the words with a swing of his bat, sending bottles from the nearby shelf flying to the floor. The customers scream as the glass shatters next to them.

Realizing he isn't going to get anywhere, the villain grunts as he begins to smack at the ice around his feet with his bat. Before he can escape, though, Houou rushes forward and knocks him out with a well-aimed uppercut to the jaw. When the villain crumples to a heap on the ground, Houou tugs the bat out of his hands--he might be unconscious now, but it's better to be safe than sorry in case he does wake up. Then, as he's looking through his tool belt, Houhou realizes something with a jolt of annoyance.]

Which one of you trapped him with the ice? I need your help restraining him. [Houou asks the closest group of civilians. Inwardly, he's kicking himself for forgetting to restock his tool belt with rope. It's a mistake he can't afford to make again, no matter how busy he and Mei are.]

[glaciers]

[ Heroes might rest, but villains never do. He presses a button on his phone to alert his agency about the situation, before focusing.

Shouto takes a step towards the vigilante. Stopping people from heroism isn't his job. So he figures he can help with this. ]

What do you need?

[ He doesn't have rope on him. But a recycling bin probably will. ]

[inheritance]

[With his attention on the villain for now, Houou doesn't look up at whoever's volunteered themselves just yet. Even if the voice is making something in his mind ping with recognition.]

Your ice quirk--is it safe to keep him trapped until the police show up? [He pauses. While it's safe to assume the authorities have been called already, he should check anyway.] Did anyone notify the police already?

Costume tweaks Pt. 2; Izuku & Shouto

[inheritance]

[For a short time after he'd run into Todoroki in his vigilante gear, Izuku had been tense and distracted, making mistakes left and right. He's lucky that Mei already knew everything or Izuku is certain he would have given himself away. He's also lucky that Todoroki apparently hadn't recognized him that night. Though Todoroki hadn't seemed interested in turning him in, Izuku had a natural tendency to worry, and he'd ended up fretting for a few days before the fear had finally dissipated.

...which is for the best, since Todoroki's stopping by to test the new tech adjustments today.]

Todoroki-kun! [Izuku smiles at him nervously as the hero in question steps into the shop, the bells on the door chiming his arrival.] Good morning.

[glaciers]

[ Shouto, for his part, didn't think about Houou after their first meeting. The vigilante want caught by any other heroes or the police, so he figures he's doing well enough out there.

More importantly, Midoriya is right in front of him. The civilian is just as cute as ever.]

Good morning.

[ It's too bad he couldn't have taken a test before this meeting. ]

[inheritance]

[He's practically bouncing with a nervous energy as he beckons Todoroki further into the shop.]

Um, Mei-san's in her lab, so we shouldn't disturb her. [Bad things will happen, is what his solemn expression says.] But we can still use the warehouse to check the tech!

[The door at the back of the shop leads to a sizeable warehouse, with targets set up and even a corner with practice mats and weights. As bare as the walls are, the many scorch marks from past experiments somehow makes the room look a bit ominous.]

[glaciers]

[Shouto falls comfortably into step with Midoriya. Ah, even when he's worried he's very cute. It's fine to look at him like this, right?]

Of course.

[But he'll take a look around the warehouse and grimace at the scorch marks left there.]

Should I have cleaned up too? Or did this come from somebody else's fire?

[inheritance]

Oh! Those... [Izuku crosses his arms over his chest, and tilts his head to the side as he tries to remember.]

It was probably from those booster packs she was testing a week ago. Or maybe it was the flame thrower? Um...actually, maybe it was the faulty mini smoke bombs she was working on...

[In reality, it's probably a combination of all three.]

[glaciers]

Who... who was asking for a flamethrower?

[How many people would even need one to begin with? Wouldn't a water hose be a lot more useful in the city?]

[glaciers]

[ Shouto's at Midoriya's building around 12. He knows he said brunch, but also he sure loves getting any amount of sleep in his life.

He makes his way in and looks around for his friend. ]

Ready to eat, Midoriya?

[inheritance]

[True to form, Izuku's at the table, a bunch of notes scattered in front of him as he works. It might look messy to anyone else, but there's an order to it. Somehow.]

Todoroki-kun! [He looks up with a smile.] I'm ready, lemme just put these away.

[glaciers]

[There he is, Midoriya. It looks messy, but it also looks like Midoriya knows how to find what he needs.]

You're sure you're not too busy?

[inheritance]

It's busy, but I want to spend some time with my friend.

[His stomach growls just then, and Izuku laughs sheepishly.] And...I could use something to eat right about now.

[glaciers]

[There's a tiny twitch of his mouth.]

Alright. Then let's go get some food.

... I feel like you should pick the next time we eat out though.

[inheritance]

I can do that. [He's run out to get food for him and Mei enough times to know this area pretty well by now.] Maybe I just want to see what you'd pick. [It's informative! He's already added the noodle place to his list of places to frequent, for example.]

Okay. [The papers have all been shuffled into slightly neater looking piles.] Let's go!