[When Aizawa pulls him aside after class, Izuku's apprehensive at first, knowing he doesn't have the best track record. By the time he leaves the classroom, though, he's equal parts relieved and excited. It's been a few days since Izuku and Shinsou had exchanged those late night texts, and Izuku's all too happy to have an excuse to contact his (tentative) new friend.]
Hey! Aizawa-sensei mentioned something about the two of us needing more practice with hand-to-hand?
[Shinso hadn't known what to think when Eraserhead- Aizawa-sensei had first approached him after the sports festival. He was intimidating. Still, that little bit of intimidating was why he liked Eraserhead the hero in the first place. He didn't have a flashy power but he still got things done and was undeniably a hero.]
[So, to hear from a hero that he could become a hero...]
[... well, he'd do anything Aizawa asked, short of swallow glass.]
[It had started as a series of stamina exercises. He was running more often, lifting weights, working on his balance. Some nights he fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. He'd gotten better by the time that avenue of communication had opened again- the one between him and Izuku Midoriya. Even if he wasn't impressive, he was passable.]
[It's still a bit embarrassing to be told (not asked, told) to practice hand-to-hand with the student that had knocked him out of the ring.]
i don't know about you but i definitely need it sensei's shown me some basics but i'm more used to seeing the ceiling than feeling like i'm making much progress
[because of course Aizawa doesn't hold back against a kid]
[He replied!! The part of Izuku that's still amazed that people are willing to talk to him and become friends is thrilled, of course.]
That's because sensei doesn't hold back when he's training us. He can hold his own against a huge group of villains, you know! It's not a surprise that you're having trouble sparring with him. He's tough!
I'm sure you're improving a lot already, Shinsou-kun. It's just hard to see because you've been up against sensei this whole time. I think that's why he suggested we work together!
[Ah, man. He hadn't meant to sound like he was asking for praise or anything. It's a bit embarrassing. Maybe he should complain less? It was just frustrating...]
he's a lot faster than you expect when i started i couldn't even land a hit on him
[And that was after the long, trudging bit of how to throw a proper punch, or kick, or knee in the first place. It was impressive, even if it didn't feel like it.]
but yeah since sensei suggested it i'm fine with that are you free tomorrow?
[Midoriya's positive spirit sure was something. Shinso's got no idea how this is going to go. Still, he tries to go to bed a bit earlier than night just in case. Once the school day starts, it's a lot more of the same. Classes, note-taking...]
[Every now and then, Shinso will send Midoriya little texts while hiding his phone under his desk.]
you guys doing anything fun today?
do you think yamada-sensei ever gets sore throats?
[He's too embarrassed to text him anything about lunch, though. He was probably going to eat with his hero course friends and, well.. Shinso did have his general course friends. Besides, they had as plan to meet after school.]
[... yeah, it was to fight but, like. Friend fighting. Shinso's standards are low so it still counts.]
[It's a shock when Izuku checks his phone in between classes the next day to find texts from Shinsou waiting for him. A good kind of shock, though! Part of Izuku had thought that he might have to do a lot of coaxing before Shinsou would begin to even warm up to him; it makes him smile to be proven wrong this time.]
Nothing too exciting! Lots of math and history.
Maybe when his quirk first manifested! I bet he carries something around to help if his throat gets uncomfortable, though. What kind of flavor do you think Yamada-sensei would prefer for throat lozenges?
[Shinso's like a cat, curious about something new in their space. If it's mentioned, he'll probably get shy and tone it down. As long as it's accepted, though, it can continue with no being flustered.]
something loud and obnoxious like lime or maybe pumpkin spice i saw those once
[And maybe tried them. He's only human. Either way, they can continue their little bits of small-talk about classes and teachers until that last bell rings. Shinso doesn't head for the gym right away- rather, he heads over to heroics to see if he can catch Midoriya by the 1-A doors. It's not as much of a statement as the last time he went over there, though.]
[Or, well, maybe it's a different kind of declaration of war. Not that he was really in competition with any of Midoriya's other frien- classmates.]
[Today's just full of surprises, Izuku thinks, when he walks out of the classroom and finds Shinsou already waiting for him there. Izuku stops short, a smile working its way onto his face a second later.]
Shinsou-kun! [Hastily, he waves goodbye to his classmates and closes the door behind him when he feels a few curious eyes looking in their direction. ] I was just about to text you about where we should meet up, but you're already here!
[He just looks pleased about this, though.] Let's head over to the gym and change.
[Shinso's face is pretty neutral. His natural scowl does die down a bit once the door is closed. They're still in public, after all.]
I just figured I'd drop by. [Maybe it was a bit of extra walking for him but that was fine. He just felt like showing up. After all, his end goal was to get here, right? The hero course hallways would eventually be his own. This was just scoping them out.]
Either way we've got the gym, so let's go, [he agrees, turning to start walking.]
Yeah! Let's go! [Unsurprisingly, Izuku's as gung-ho about training as ever.]
Should we spar a little first to get an idea of what we need to work on? I bet we could find a lot of videos online about different fighting moves and styles that we could learn from once we start training together. Oh! And there's recordings of hero fights that we could study together, too...
[On and on, he rambles as they walk, enthusiasm not waning a bit.]
[You can't help what you like. He can kind of understand, though, with the new piece of information about Midoriya's late-appearing quirk. Getting rejected from the hero course had really put a chip in his shoulder. If something had happened and he had managed to get in, despite everything, he'd probably be just as eager.]
A lot of hero fights boil down to how you use your quirk, though. Someone with a quirk like mine, [and, for once, he doesn't mean like a villain's, he just means a quirk that really involves speaking, conversation,] it's hard to watch a video...
[he pauses, idly touching the back of his neck as he walks]
Which heroes would you look at? [They're working together so there's no shame for asking. It doesn't make him weak. There's some twinge in the back of his mind that still struggles against it, though.]
Heroes that don't rely on their quirks for physical combat. [but still use it, unlike some people. Honestly, if Aizawa weren't so good at avoiding cameras...]
[Izuku smiles and gives him a friendly little nudge of the shoulder.]
I'm not talking about just heroes, Shinsou-kun. [He supposes he can't blame Shinsou for jumping to that conclusion, based on what he started rambling about halfway through, though.]
There are martial arts experts that we can watch and learn from, too. It's true that the styles can vary from person to person because of the wide variety of quirks nowadays, but the basics are all the same, right? And some of the heroes we know use these styles and adapt to them when they're in combat. Like Gunhead!
[So- not even looking at heroes at all. It made sense. He objectively knew that there were still plenty of places that did martial arts without quirk use, tournaments, stuff like that... he just hadn't thought of how he could learn from them. That's another distinction between those with quirks and those without. It becomes so easy to stop and think of everything in term of powered-up heroes. Even when he looked at hand-to-hand, he was looking through the idea of Eraserhead. He didn't even think of the simplest step.]
Ah. Yeah, you're right. [He should know better than anyone that he needed to look at any avenue to get into the hero class.]
That suddenly makes a lot more options, doesn't there? Maybe I should have already been watching videos.
[There's a rueful little smile on his face now as he shakes his head.]
We both should have been looking at that option already, I think. Everything I know about combat comes from watching videos of heroes in combat or from watching my classmates. [It feels silly, that he'd missed such an obvious thing, too, until recently. Even someone like him, who had been quirkless, had fallen into the trap of thinking everything had to revolve around quirks.]
To be honest, I didn't even realize it was an option until Uraraka-san brought up her training with Gunhead.
Uraraka? [Wasn't that-] She was in the combat tournament too, right? [Up against that egomaniac, which only made Shinsou want to root for her. So, she'd been training with Gunhead? So he wasn't the only one to start working a bit harder after losing...]
Well, how do you normally fight? I feel like our fight wasn't a great example. [Since, like, it was talking into a baby fight. Starting with what Midoriya already knew would be best, right? Then they could both decide on the next step together.]
[It's so weird to think "together." It wasn't a bad weird, it just didn't feel like he'd earned it. Or, rather, he was so used to having to earn everyone's trust.]
[Here, Izuku just rubs at the back of his neck, laughing sort of nervously.]
Well... my style's changed a lot since the Sports Festival, actually. Um, you saw my fight with Todoroki-kun, right? That's kind of how I used to fight--just trying to fire off the least amount of hits with my strength to win. I still didn't have very good control over my quirk back then, so...that was all I could do for a while.
[He gives a self-conscious sort of shrug. Even if Shinsou already knows he got his quirk late, it doesn't dispel the feeling that he has a long way to go before he can catch up with his classmates.]
A-anyway, let's just say Recovery Girl isn't a fan!
[Right, if he wasn't that used to it back then, of course he was going to adapt it into something else...]
Yeah. Sensei mentioned it once or twice. [It was a little weird to constantly hear about someone breaking bones but, again, the idea of it being a late-manifesting quirk made it a bit less surprising.] That was then, though, right?
[And even then, it had gotten him far. If not for how worn-out all the first years had gotten, that finale had promised to be explosive. Sure, Midoriya wasn't up on the podium, but- it was still further than Shinso got.]
It's a lot easier now! [Even if Izuku would have been willing to continue pushing his body to the extremes just to reach his goal, it's a relief that he doesn't have to do that as much with his much-improved control. Not only is it way more efficient, but Izuku doesn't have to feel guilty about making his mom worry about him now.
With an excited grin, Izuku clenches his hands into his fists as he looks over at Shinsou.]
I can show you when we get to the gym if you want!
[There's a bit of a smile although, with the focus on Midoriya's hands, there's a moment of-]
[Those scars hadn't been there last time, had they?]
[He doesn't quite want to mention them, considering how bright that smile is, though. He'd get a better look later, maybe. He'd clearly improved and he wanted to see that first.]
Sure. [he makes sure he's looking at Midoriya's face and not glancing down to that hand]
Since you know what my quirk can do, it's only fair you show me where yours is at now.
It's okay to surprise the people you're sparring with sometimes, but we're going to be helping each other, right? [Here, he sneaks a hopeful little smile in Shinsou's direction, not at all noticing where his new friend's attention had drifted before.]
If that's the case, it's helpful when we know where we're both at in terms of ability.
[Honestly, his greatest asset was always going to be surprise. His quirk being known was really crippling. Anyone could choose to just not answer him. He needed to be able to physically manage his opponents even without his quirk.]
[Part of that was probably why he was just a bit Eraserhead fan.]
Yeah. [At some point, even Midoriya could be his enemy in getting into the hero course and earning that recognition. He doesn't want to think about it. Still, some part of him felt like he shouldn't lay down all his cards, just in case.]
I can't wait to see. [His grin is a little predatory as they head into the locker room to change from uniform to PE clothes.]
[Izuku's practically vibrating with a sense of eagerness by the time they've changed into their gym uniforms and reached the mats. And, of course, he sets his notebook right on top of his bag, ready for whatever adjustments he might need to make to Shinsou's page.]
Okay! [Izuku hops on his feet to warm up a bit.] I promised I'd show you first.
[And with that, Izuku's speeding off, energy crackling over his skin. The gym's spacious, but there's barely anything Izuku can use to propel himself off of. So, all he does is race from one end of the gym to the other, skidding to a stop in front of Shinsou when he's done. The whole thing barely takes any time at all.]
[If the display took time, Shinso might think about spying on that notebook. However, he doesn't even have time to consider it. How did that even work? That was entirely different from how his quirk had worked at the sports festival. It looked like a proper quirk, not one that backfired and blew out his body.]
Impressive. [he bites back a hint of creeping jealousy. Even knowing that he started late, even knowing how dangerous it was before...]
And no messed up bones or anything? [he tilts his head, looking at the exposed skin for any of that dark, distorted color.]
Not anymore! [Izuku bounces on his feet a little, beaming. Though he knows he's still got a long way to go before really mastering One for All, he's happy about the progress he's made so far. With this, he can fight and protect his friends.]
It's a lot weaker, though, in terms of power. I still can't use a lot of it all at once or my bones will break again.
[It doesn't feel weird, telling Shinsou all of this, when he already knows that Izuku got his quirk much later in life than everyone else. It's only natural that he'd have trouble handling that much power at first.]
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mixingbowl2018-07-29 03:50 pm
no subject
Hey! Aizawa-sensei mentioned something about the two of us needing more practice with hand-to-hand?
no subject
[So, to hear from a hero that he could become a hero...]
[... well, he'd do anything Aizawa asked, short of swallow glass.]
[It had started as a series of stamina exercises. He was running more often, lifting weights, working on his balance. Some nights he fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. He'd gotten better by the time that avenue of communication had opened again- the one between him and Izuku Midoriya. Even if he wasn't impressive, he was passable.]
[It's still a bit embarrassing to be told (not asked, told) to practice hand-to-hand with the student that had knocked him out of the ring.]
i don't know about you but i definitely need it
sensei's shown me some basics but
i'm more used to seeing the ceiling than feeling like i'm making much progress
[because of course Aizawa doesn't hold back against a kid]
no subject
That's because sensei doesn't hold back when he's training us. He can hold his own against a huge group of villains, you know! It's not a surprise that you're having trouble sparring with him. He's tough!
I'm sure you're improving a lot already, Shinsou-kun. It's just hard to see because you've been up against sensei this whole time. I think that's why he suggested we work together!
no subject
he's a lot faster than you expect
when i started i couldn't even land a hit on him
[And that was after the long, trudging bit of how to throw a proper punch, or kick, or knee in the first place. It was impressive, even if it didn't feel like it.]
but yeah since sensei suggested it i'm fine with that
are you free tomorrow?
no subject
[So, don't get discouraged, Shinsou-kun!]
I'm free! Want to meet up right after classes end? We can use one of the school's gyms for this.
no subject
meet you then
[Midoriya's positive spirit sure was something. Shinso's got no idea how this is going to go. Still, he tries to go to bed a bit earlier than night just in case. Once the school day starts, it's a lot more of the same. Classes, note-taking...]
[Every now and then, Shinso will send Midoriya little texts while hiding his phone under his desk.]
you guys doing anything fun today?
do you think yamada-sensei ever gets sore throats?
[He's too embarrassed to text him anything about lunch, though. He was probably going to eat with his hero course friends and, well.. Shinso did have his general course friends. Besides, they had as plan to meet after school.]
[... yeah, it was to fight but, like. Friend fighting. Shinso's standards are low so it still counts.]
no subject
Nothing too exciting! Lots of math and history.
Maybe when his quirk first manifested! I bet he carries something around to help if his throat gets uncomfortable, though. What kind of flavor do you think Yamada-sensei would prefer for throat lozenges?
no subject
something loud and obnoxious
like lime
or maybe pumpkin spice i saw those once
[And maybe tried them. He's only human. Either way, they can continue their little bits of small-talk about classes and teachers until that last bell rings. Shinso doesn't head for the gym right away- rather, he heads over to heroics to see if he can catch Midoriya by the 1-A doors. It's not as much of a statement as the last time he went over there, though.]
[Or, well, maybe it's a different kind of declaration of war. Not that he was really in competition with any of Midoriya's other frien- classmates.]
no subject
Shinsou-kun! [Hastily, he waves goodbye to his classmates and closes the door behind him when he feels a few curious eyes looking in their direction. ] I was just about to text you about where we should meet up, but you're already here!
[He just looks pleased about this, though.] Let's head over to the gym and change.
no subject
I just figured I'd drop by. [Maybe it was a bit of extra walking for him but that was fine. He just felt like showing up. After all, his end goal was to get here, right? The hero course hallways would eventually be his own. This was just scoping them out.]
Either way we've got the gym, so let's go, [he agrees, turning to start walking.]
no subject
Should we spar a little first to get an idea of what we need to work on? I bet we could find a lot of videos online about different fighting moves and styles that we could learn from once we start training together. Oh! And there's recordings of hero fights that we could study together, too...
[On and on, he rambles as they walk, enthusiasm not waning a bit.]
no subject
A lot of hero fights boil down to how you use your quirk, though. Someone with a quirk like mine, [and, for once, he doesn't mean like a villain's, he just means a quirk that really involves speaking, conversation,] it's hard to watch a video...
[he pauses, idly touching the back of his neck as he walks]
Which heroes would you look at? [They're working together so there's no shame for asking. It doesn't make him weak. There's some twinge in the back of his mind that still struggles against it, though.]
Heroes that don't rely on their quirks for physical combat. [but still use it, unlike some people. Honestly, if Aizawa weren't so good at avoiding cameras...]
no subject
I'm not talking about just heroes, Shinsou-kun. [He supposes he can't blame Shinsou for jumping to that conclusion, based on what he started rambling about halfway through, though.]
There are martial arts experts that we can watch and learn from, too. It's true that the styles can vary from person to person because of the wide variety of quirks nowadays, but the basics are all the same, right? And some of the heroes we know use these styles and adapt to them when they're in combat. Like Gunhead!
no subject
Ah. Yeah, you're right. [He should know better than anyone that he needed to look at any avenue to get into the hero class.]
That suddenly makes a lot more options, doesn't there? Maybe I should have already been watching videos.
no subject
We both should have been looking at that option already, I think. Everything I know about combat comes from watching videos of heroes in combat or from watching my classmates. [It feels silly, that he'd missed such an obvious thing, too, until recently. Even someone like him, who had been quirkless, had fallen into the trap of thinking everything had to revolve around quirks.]
To be honest, I didn't even realize it was an option until Uraraka-san brought up her training with Gunhead.
no subject
Well, how do you normally fight? I feel like our fight wasn't a great example. [Since, like, it was talking into a baby fight. Starting with what Midoriya already knew would be best, right? Then they could both decide on the next step together.]
[It's so weird to think "together." It wasn't a bad weird, it just didn't feel like he'd earned it. Or, rather, he was so used to having to earn everyone's trust.]
no subject
Well... my style's changed a lot since the Sports Festival, actually. Um, you saw my fight with Todoroki-kun, right? That's kind of how I used to fight--just trying to fire off the least amount of hits with my strength to win. I still didn't have very good control over my quirk back then, so...that was all I could do for a while.
[He gives a self-conscious sort of shrug. Even if Shinsou already knows he got his quirk late, it doesn't dispel the feeling that he has a long way to go before he can catch up with his classmates.]
A-anyway, let's just say Recovery Girl isn't a fan!
no subject
Yeah. Sensei mentioned it once or twice. [It was a little weird to constantly hear about someone breaking bones but, again, the idea of it being a late-manifesting quirk made it a bit less surprising.] That was then, though, right?
[And even then, it had gotten him far. If not for how worn-out all the first years had gotten, that finale had promised to be explosive. Sure, Midoriya wasn't up on the podium, but- it was still further than Shinso got.]
How about now?
no subject
With an excited grin, Izuku clenches his hands into his fists as he looks over at Shinsou.]
I can show you when we get to the gym if you want!
no subject
[Those scars hadn't been there last time, had they?]
[He doesn't quite want to mention them, considering how bright that smile is, though. He'd get a better look later, maybe. He'd clearly improved and he wanted to see that first.]
Sure. [he makes sure he's looking at Midoriya's face and not glancing down to that hand]
Since you know what my quirk can do, it's only fair you show me where yours is at now.
no subject
It's okay to surprise the people you're sparring with sometimes, but we're going to be helping each other, right? [Here, he sneaks a hopeful little smile in Shinsou's direction, not at all noticing where his new friend's attention had drifted before.]
If that's the case, it's helpful when we know where we're both at in terms of ability.
no subject
[Part of that was probably why he was just a bit Eraserhead fan.]
Yeah. [At some point, even Midoriya could be his enemy in getting into the hero course and earning that recognition. He doesn't want to think about it. Still, some part of him felt like he shouldn't lay down all his cards, just in case.]
I can't wait to see. [His grin is a little predatory as they head into the locker room to change from uniform to PE clothes.]
no subject
Okay! [Izuku hops on his feet to warm up a bit.] I promised I'd show you first.
[And with that, Izuku's speeding off, energy crackling over his skin. The gym's spacious, but there's barely anything Izuku can use to propel himself off of. So, all he does is race from one end of the gym to the other, skidding to a stop in front of Shinsou when he's done. The whole thing barely takes any time at all.]
no subject
Impressive. [he bites back a hint of creeping jealousy. Even knowing that he started late, even knowing how dangerous it was before...]
And no messed up bones or anything? [he tilts his head, looking at the exposed skin for any of that dark, distorted color.]
no subject
It's a lot weaker, though, in terms of power. I still can't use a lot of it all at once or my bones will break again.
[It doesn't feel weird, telling Shinsou all of this, when he already knows that Izuku got his quirk much later in life than everyone else. It's only natural that he'd have trouble handling that much power at first.]