Chapter Text
The revelation came soon that they were working towards their provisional licensing exam. Apparently, Shinso wasn’t going to be taking it with them, but he would be taking the time to work with them and develop his own moves. He was lying across Izuku’s bed, telling him about his conversation with Aizawa.
“I asked if he thought I’d be able to pass.” he confessed, tossing an All Might plushie into the air and catching it repeatedly. His head was hanging off the edge while Izuku was curled up in his desk chair.
“What’d he say?”
“He said that I would likely be able to pass, but that didn’t mean I was ready to have my provisional license. That he was training me to be a hero, not pass a test.” he shrugged. “That’s fair. I trust his judgement.” Izuku nodded back, twirling his pencil in his hand. By now, Izuku trusted that Aizawa was going to do what he could to get Shinso into the hero course. If he said that Shinso wasn’t ready to have his provisional license, he would trust that was the right course of action.
“So.” Izuku started.
“ So .” Shinso mocked him, and Izuku waved a hand as if to swat at his friend.
“Kaminari.”
Shinso’s face immediately went red and he missed his next catch, the All Might plushie landing on his neck. He made a gagging noise and tossed it off, sitting up abruptly. Izuku giggled and his friend glared at him.
“You get so flustered.” Izuku pointed out. “It’s okay if you like him. I won’t tell.” He would stop the teasing, too, if it bothered Shinso.
“No, it’s just, I-,” Shinso rubbed his eyes. “Okay, so maybe I do kind of like a cute boy giving me attention.” Izuku couldn’t help it; he squeaked in excitement and Shinso threw the plushie at him.
“It’s cute!” Izuku protested. “I know everyone teases Kaminari, but he’s really sweet.”
“I just...he’s fun to be around.” Shinso muttered. “And he’s cute and he isn’t afraid of me.”
“I’m glad.” Izuku said. “I really am. You don’t have to be embarrassed!”
“It’s disgusting , that’s what it is.” His lavender-haired friend said. “Having feelings is embarrassing .”
“I feel everything , so strongly, all the time!” Izuku threw the plushie back.
“But you’re like...adorable. It’s fine. Plus, Todoroki is into that shit.” Izuku looked blankly down at his hands
“I wish I had something else to throw at you.” His friend laughed back. “I don’t think Todoroki-kun feels that way, Shinso.”
“Oh, please .” The lavender-haired boy remarked, swinging his legs over the side of Izuku’s bed. Izuku just shook his head.
“No, really. He didn’t really have any friends before coming to UA and I think I’m his first close one. He just cares about me. As a friend .”
“Even if you don’t think he likes you, do you like him?” Shinso asked and Izuku hesitated. “Come on . You made me say it.”
“I don’t know.” Izuku said back. “I mean, I think he’s really cool and he’s just so sweet, but I can honestly say I haven’t had any time to think about it. It kind of feels like I’ve been running from one disaster to another all year.” It was true; Todoroki was so kind-hearted, and strong, and sweet. And, to be honest, very, very pretty. When he really smiled and his eyes crinkled and his nose wrinkled it made Izuku’s heart flutter a bit. But Izuku hadn’t given it any serious thought, just written it off as a silly little crush and focused on tackling the next crisis.
“But you think he’s attractive.” Shinso pressed. Izuku sunk against the chair, face red, but nodded.
“He has such a sweet smile.” He knew objectively that Todoroki was handsome and he definitely saw it. He was very dashing, especially when he got fired up about something. But more than that, Izuku thought he was just so cute . He just wanted to squish his face.
“You’re so sappy.” His friend told him. “But I understand. You have been risking life and limb like...ten times so far this year. You’ve got a lot on your plate.”
“And besides , I don’t know if Todoroki-kun is ready to feel that way about anyone, you know? He’s been through a lot and he should just get to have friends and enjoy them without worrying about stuff like this.” Izuku said, waving his hands.
“Yeah.” Shinso said, sobering quickly. “I guess so.”
XXXX
“Todoroki-kun!” Midoriya greeted him, waving at him as he jogged into the common room. Shouto paused where he stood, to wave back and offer a weak smile. His friend was wearing a sweatshirt and a pair of shorts, clearly having come back from a run. He looked sweaty, green curls glistening, panting slightly, face flushed. He beamed at Shouto and it made him feel special.
Midoriya passed where Aizawa and Midnight were grading papers at a table. They had said that the lights in the teacher’s residences wouldn’t stop flickering so they were setting up shop here until maintenance fixed it.
When Shinso, who was seated on the couch with Momo, had suggested that they simply ask Kaminari to blow out all the lightbulbs and make it a real maintenance emergency, Aizawa had just glared at him.
Momo hadn’t hid her giggle that well, burying her face in her textbook.
Shinso was still in his trial period and still lived in the General Studies dorm, but he was around pretty often, both because of his friendship with Midoriya and the classwork he was doing with them. Shouto wasn’t surprised to see Shinso with Momo; they had both been given the same case problem to write an analysis on and were working together.
“Midoriya.” Shouto greeted his friend. “You’re back from your run early.” Midoriya slowed in front of him, looking bashful.
“Ah, well, it got a lot hotter out and I’m kind of dying in this sweatshirt?” He offered, his fingers tugging on the bottom of the fabric. He started to lift it as he walked, pulling it over his head. It revealed a sweaty, grey t-shirt underneath that was clinging to his body, accentuating the muscles in his torso as his chest rose and fell. “Thought I might just take a breather today and go shower.” Shouto just nodded back and tried not to stare. He didn’t want to make his friend uncomfortable.
“Of course.”
“Do you want to work on our essay later, together?” Midoriya asked, green eyes sparkling. He carded a hand through his green curls, causing them to bounce under the light of the common room.
“Yes.” Shouto responded. “That would be nice.”
“Great!” Midoriya said. “I’m going to go take a shower, but I’ll see you in like, an hour?” Shouto nodded, as Midoriya turned away and Shouto turned back towards the kitchen.
Water , he thought. He needed water, right? That was what he had planned to go to the kitchen for. He glanced over at his green-haired classmate as he walked away, just in time to see Midoriya lift the hem of his shirt to wipe his sweaty forehead, exposing glistening abdominals and just the tops of his hip bones, a sharp V, and a muscled back as he headed towards the stairs-,
THWACK!
Shouto stumbled backwards, falling on his ass. He blinked, tears having formed in his eyes at the sting of hitting his nose and forehead against the door frame. He touched his face gingerly, sitting with his knees propped up.
“Dude.” He twisted to try and find the source of the voice, before he glanced up and saw Shinso leaning over the back of the couch, peering down at him. He looked amused at Shouto having walked into a wall and he already knew his ears were turning pink. Momo’s head poked out as well. “You’re so subtle.” The purple-haired boy said sarcastically.
“Subtle?” Shouto asked, as he got back to his feet. He glanced over to see Midnight looking up at him, stifling a laugh. Aizawa was ignoring them, absorbed in his grading.
“You and your big ole’ crush on Midoriya.” Shinso said flippantly.
“I don’t know what that is.” Shouto said, furrowing his brow. The purple-haired boy stared at him.
“Crush?” He asked.
“No. I don’t know what you mean.” He could tell Midnight was listening with interest.
“Don’t you watch TV? Read teen novels?” Shinso asked incredulously.
“No.” Shouto said, confused. He really didn’t know what Shinso was talking about, and the fact that everyone seemed shocked was just confusing him further. “I was never allowed to.” He had seen the news, of course. He remembered watching some animated show with his mother when he was young. But that was about it. Sometimes, now, he watched the cooking channel in his free time. But as for popular television, he didn’t know where to begin.
“What about school?”
“I was homeschooled until UA.” He said.
“That...explains a lot.” Shinso said, scratching his jaw. “Do you want us to explain what a crush is to you?”
Well, now Shouto felt embarrassed.
This was the kind of thing he would probably ask Midoriya in private. He knew he was sheltered, but whenever it came to revealing the extent of it, he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by all his classmates who just seemed to know everything .
“You don’t have to.” He said cautiously. “I know it’s odd.”
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Todoroki-kun!” Momo said quickly. “Of course we’ll explain it to you!” Shinso glanced over at the pro heroes.
“Hey, Kayama-sensei-,” Shouto often forgot that Midnight was Shinso’s homeroom teacher. “Would you like to help us?”
“Of course!” She chirped.
“Well, a crush is when you like someone.” Shinso said, seemingly thinking. Shouto frowned.
“Of course I like Midoriya. He’s my friend.”
“But someone you like more than other friends.” Momo said.
“He’s my closest friend.” Shouto responded, confused. Of course he liked Midoriya a lot. He was his first friend. That little green-haired boy cared for him so passionately; naturally, he felt closer to him than he did anyone else. “Is that a crush?”
“Uh, no.” Midnight said. “Do you ever think about things like...holding Midoriya’s hand?” She suggested. Shouto nodded.
“Yes, I hold his hand sometimes. It helps with the soreness, since I can heat it for him. I’m at least partially responsible for its condition, so it seems only fair I try and help. Especially in colder weather.” He explained.
“Do you like holding his hand though?” She pressed.
“I like being able to help.” Shouto said. Midnight seemed frustrated, tapping her pen against her paper.
“I’m trying to think of other examples.”
“Do you ever have romantic thoughts about him?” Momo asked, tentatively. Shouto just blinked at her. To be totally honest, he didn’t think he would know what a romantic thought was at all. It wasn’t like he had ever seen anything like romance. His parents’ relationship had nothing to do with romance. He hadn’t interacted much with others his age so he had never experienced a lot in regards to feelings for other people.
“I don’t think I would know what a romantic thought is supposed to be like.” He said, thoughtfully. “My parents never loved each other and my siblings have never spoken to me about anything like that.”
“Oh, buddy.” Shinso said, and Momo nudged him with her elbow. “What? It’s kind of depressing.”
“Sh!” She shushed him.
“It’s fine.” Shouto said, with a shrug. “It is.”
“Do you like it when Midoriya hugs you?” Shinso suggested.
“Of course.” Shouto blinked back. “Midoriya gives excellent hugs.” The lavender-haired boy made a noise of frustration.
“He does, you’re right. That’s not a good indicator.”
“What about kissing?” Midnight said. “Do you want to kiss Midoriya?” Did he? He had never kissed anyone before, so he didn’t know what it was supposed to feel like. Sure, his mother had kissed him on the cheeks and so had Fuyumi occasionally, but it had been years since either of those. He didn’t know what a kiss was supposed to be like, so he didn’t know if he had ever desired one from anyone.
“I don’t think I would know that.” Shouto said and Midnight sighed.
“That’s what I was afraid you would say.” She agreed.
“Why did you just walk into that wall?” Momo asked. “Let’s pick that apart.”
“I just got distracted and didn’t look where I was walking.” Shouto said, but he was flashing back to what exactly distracted him and he couldn’t help but feel the heat creep into his face.
Shinso smirked at him.
“And what exactly distracted you?”
“I was just...looking at Midoriya, I suppose.” Shouto said. “I probably made him uncomfortable. It was stupid.”
“You were looking at Midoriya with his shirt pulled up.” The lavender-haired boy pressed.
“His shirt was up, I guess.” Shouto took a step back, and he felt his shoulders make contact with the wall. He wanted to melt into the floor and die. It was a mistake to have asked; he should have just waited and asked Midoriya later.
“So Midoriya’s Adonis-like physique had something to do with it?” Shinso grinned at him.
“He is well-built.” Shouto muttered. “He must train very hard.”
“Oh, Todoroki-kun.” He flicked his eyes up to see Momo pressing her hands to her mouth, eyes dancing with mirth. “Your ears are so red.” He slid down the wall nervously.
“Okay, okay.” Shinso said, holding up his hands. “It’s one thing to think Midoriya’s attractive. Having a crush isn’t just about thinking someone is attractive and that’s it.”
“That’s right!” Midnight said. “A crush is about how someone makes you feel. So, Todoroki-kun, how does Midoriya make you feel ?” He tried to think, through the heat in his face. Midoriya made him feel a lot of things. Like people could maybe like Shouto, as if he truly did have likeable qualities. Safe. Loved, maybe. but if he had to put one label on it-,
“Special.” He answered, finally. “He makes me feel special.” Even Shinso’s snarky grin softened. “He probably makes most people feel that way, though.” He reasoned. “He has that effect.”
“What about when you think about holding his hand?” Momo said. “I know you said it’s because it makes you feel helpful, to help him. But when his hand isn’t hurting. Do you think about holding his hand then?” He blinked.
“Sometimes.” He answered, honestly.
“Why?” He shrugged.
“I guess...it makes me feel safe? He makes me feel safe.” Shouto decided.
“Well, Todoroki-kun, I don’t know if you have a crush.” Midnight said.
“I don’t?” Shouto said. “I don’t think I understand what a crush is, still.”
“No, Todoroki-kun, I think you have some pretty strong feelings for Midoriya-kun.” She said.
“A crush is kind of like what you described, but more...tentative.” Momo said. “You like them, you think they’re attractive, you want to hug them, maybe kiss them, hold their hand. But I think what you’re talking about is a little stronger than that. You really like him.”
“Y’know,” Shinso said. “When I first became friends with Midoriya, I thought he was nuts because he told me you were a ‘total sweetheart’.” Shouto couldn’t help it; he immediately covered his face with his hands, flush spreading to his face. “He was right, Icyhot.” Shinso said, even though Shouto’s face was covered.
“It is sweet.” Momo said. “The way you feel about him.”
“You did catch fire when he kissed you at the Sports Festival.” Shinso pointed out, and he could hear Midnight clap her hands together cheerfully at the memory. Shouto let out an undignified noise in response.
“I-it was just that-, I mean...The only people who have ever kissed me are my mother and my sister.” He protested. “And I was probably four then-,”
“If Midoriya came down here right now and held your hand, be honest. Would you burst into flames?” The lavender-haired boy pressed him. Shouto slid even further down the wall.
“Probably.” He choked. Shinso covered his mouth while he snorted.
“Todoroki-kun, it’s perfectly normal to feel this way about someone.” Momo said, leaning against the couch and tilting her head.
Shouto blinked.
“It is?”
“Yes.” she said soothingly. “Besides, Midoriya is very cute and very sweet. It’s no surprise that you like him. The question is just if you want to do anything about it.”
Shouto felt like he was learning a lot today.
He wasn’t stupid or completely emotionally stunted. Shouto had plenty of feelings. Maybe he didn’t understand them, but he had them. Even if he was behind his classmates in a lot of social cues, he still wanted to figure them out.
“What do you mean, exactly?”
“Well, would you want to date Midoriya?” she suggested and Shouto considered her words.
“Maybe? I like spending time with him. I like holding his hand and hugging him. But I don’t really know how I would be sure.”
“Flirt.” Shinso said. “If you have fun doing it and Midoriya responds by flirting back and you both like it, then you date, I guess. But you can do that for a while without dating and just have fun.” Shouto had a sudden realization; Shinso and Midoriya were very close, weren’t they? Shouto knew that he and Midoriya were close, but they talked about very different things. Maybe Midoriya would have confided in Shinso.
“Shinso.” he said, and his mouth felt dry. “Has Midoriya said anything to you about me?” The lavender-haired boy’s eyebrows shot up.
“Even if Midoriya had said anything specific, I wouldn’t go around blabbing.” Shinso said. “ But I do know that he thinks you’re pretty cool. He’s had a lot on his plate so far this year, so I don’t think he’s thought too much about...things like this.” Shouto nodded back. That seemed fair. He had no reason to think it wasn’t the truth.
“So how do I...do any of this?”
“Woo?” Shinso suggested. “Woo Midoriya?” Shouto nodded. The two students in the room looked thoughtful, and Midnight was grinning.
Shouto wasn’t quite sure what he had gotten himself into.
After a few suggestions from Momo and Shinso that got bounced around, Shouto didn’t feel any more prepared. Just be really physically close to him , sounded creepy. Smile more, sounded uncharacteristic. Bring him things?, was far too vague.
“You’re both bad at this.” he informed them. Momo giggled and Shinso threw his hands up.
“We’re not exactly masters of this either! It’s not like I’ve dated anyone. It’s hard to develop feelings for someone when everyone is too afraid to speak to you!” he protested.
There was a pause, and Momo was tilting her head at Shinso, eyes filled with concern, reaching for his shoulder.
“Oh, Shinso-kun. That was very unkind of-,” Shinso batted her hand away, rolling his eyes.
“My point is that all of us are misfit weirdos with bad social skills. Except for Kirishima. He’s an angel.” Momo winced. “Kayama-sensei? Any suggestions?” Shinso called out to the dark-haired teacher. She was grinning at them, but shook her head.
“None of my suggestions are school appropriate. Though, I suppose you could-,” Aizawa slammed his papers down. He seemed to have been pointedly ignoring them, but with Midnight’s participation, he likely couldn’t any longer. Shouto did feel embarrassed that they were discussing this in front of his homeroom teacher, but he really was very confused.
“I am sick of hearing about this!” Aizawa snapped. He turned on his coworker, who was trying to stifle her laughter. “ No suggestions to minors! ” he ordered.
“Hey, Aizawa-sensei-,” Shinso started, and he was already cracking up. Shouto went pale at the thought of Shinso asking Eraserhead for dating advice on his behalf. It was like a nightmare he would have. The unkempt man’s head turned slowly, looking exasperated. “Any suggestions?”
Their homeroom teacher glared at them, but held up a hand.
“I am saying this once, so I don’t have to hear this again. One , ask them out on a date and make it clear that it is a date. Two , take them to do something they like or want to do. If you aren’t sure, ask . Three , dress to whatever is appropriate for the occasion, but do try to make an effort.” Shouto was watching in shock , as their teacher counted off on his fingers with each command. Shinso’s mouth was hanging open. “ Four , ask them questions about themselves. Five , make sure they know you had a nice time after. Please never ask me about this again.”
“Oh my God.” Slipped out from Momo and Midnight was full-on laughing by then. She reached out and grabbed Aizawa’s shoulder as she did.
“That was pretty good.” Shinso said, rubbing his jaw. “I wasn’t expecting that.” Their teacher rolled his eyes.
“Do you think I’m just an old man who lives with cats and has no life outside of UA?”
At the same time that Shinso said “Yes,” Momo asked, “You have cats?”
“You do know I am only thirty, correct?” Aizawa asked dryly. Shinso shrugged, giving their teacher a cheeky smile back. Shouto could hardly believe what he was seeing.
“Might as well be dead.”
“Brat.” Aizawa remarked. “You’ll be paying for that in training.”
XXXX
For their preparations for the provisional exam, they had been told ahead of time to start thinking about potential finishing moves and what adjustments needed to be made. Honestly, this was something Izuku had been thinking about since the final exam.
He already had the thought during his battle against the Hero Killer that he ought to strengthen the shoes on his costume more and had gone to Mei and Power Loader for that already. The result had been a stronger, iron-soled shoe with a tread. He knew Mei been cooking up a few things since, since she had been spamming his school email with messages to come by as soon as he could.
But Izuku had been thinking about bracing his arms, as well and adding some kind of body armor to protect him better. He was strong and sturdy but he wasn’t invincible and the attack had just proved that. He knew he had been lucky, but Recovery Girl had finally sat him down and told him why she had been so afraid about him breaking his arms too many times. He hadn’t made it worse this time, even if he had gotten hurt. And the prospect of potentially losing movement in them completely... terrified him.
“We’re not there yet.” she promised him, after seeing the fear in his face. “Muscular just snapped the bone; it’s nothing like when you break your own arms. But we will be, someday. It’s the joints we’re worried about.
He was suddenly very glad he had decided against using One for All at 100%.
He made it out with only one new scar; and that was on his abdomen. It was warped, far more than he had expected, but Recovery Girl explained that the appearance was from the emergency cauterization. It would get better, with time.
But the whole incident certainly lit a fire under his ass; he was thinking about getting bracers for his legs, his arms. Thickening the material of his suit to make sure that it wasn’t susceptible to slicing and tearing, like it had been against both the Stain and Toga. Maybe even adding sections of body armor or kevlar over vital organs.
He was thinking about changing his style, as well. Between the moves both Gran Torino and Aizawa had taught him, Izuku was beginning to think that boxing wasn’t his best weapon. His whole body could be used. Honestly, if anything, Bakugo had taught him that too. Despite his primary weapons being his hands, the blonde boy managed to engage his whole body for aerial maneuvers and blows that used more than just his fists.
Izuku wasn’t All Might, and he needed to get through that; he couldn’t copy his style. He had to figure out his own.
He was thinking about using his legs .
He already had a good start, with the kicks and the throws and one particular takedown Aizawa had shown him that involved wrapping his legs around their neck in a violent and aggressive takedown that used both momentum and the strength of his legs. Maybe he could get Iida to show him a few more?
Regardless, he was off to see Mei.
“ Midoriya ! ” She shrieked the moment he stepped in, rushing towards him. As usual, she was in his personal space almost instantaneously and he jerked back with a squeak. “I’ve been thinking about some redesigns for your suit-,”
“Hatsume!” Power Loader shouted from where he was working in the other corner of the workshop. “Give him some space!” She waved her hand dismissively as she dragged him further in.
“I’ve had some interesting ideas that I think we can utilize with your fire, almost similar to-,”
“Wait, Hatsume.” Izuku said quickly. “I have a few upgrades that I have to make, so let me tell you about those first.” He told her about his bracing idea, for both his arms and legs as well as the potential for some body armor.
“Well, good news for you, we’ve been working on a new suit material!” She said and she flung open a case and started throwing textile samples at him, telling him to figure out what would feel most comfortable against his skin. “Heat resistant, cold resistant, tensile strength to prevent tearing, slash resistant, stab resistant-,” she rambled. “-lucky for you, I already thought ahead on bracing your legs, so I already have a design cooked up and tested out, but I can definitely do something like that for your arms-,”
Once they got through the things he wanted, which he was assured were easily doable and also “boring as shit ,” they got to the things Mei wanted.
Which was a long, long list.
He shot down the idea of straight up grenades quickly. Maybe it was Bakugo’s shtick, but not his. The utility belt, he could go with. Mei had already nixed the ear-like appendages on his costume, which he did allow as well. They had been an attempt at an homage to All Might, but he agreed that they were more distracting than useful.
Things got dicey when Hatsume attempted to shove something metal against his mouth for some kind of fitting with barely a garbled explanation and it smacked him in the lip as he tried to dodge.
“Hold still!” she ordered. “I just need to make sure it fits!”
“I don’t know what this does!” he cried.
“Just get into your suit!” she said, unfolding it from a case and tossing it at him. It had some of the upgrades she had envisioned already. She shooed him towards a changing room and he came out in it. It was one of the textiles she had tossed at his face and he was rubbing the fabric experimentally. The boots were the thick, iron soles, with the bracers he had been thinking off. He tapped against them, rubbing the material against his hands to get a feel of what it would be like on his arms. The braces as well could act as a cast, strong enough to hold any broken bones in place and he could manually adjust them to splint better if he needed to.
There were some surprises, though.
He walked out, trying to twist to see the back of his costume in the mirror in the workshop.
“Hatsume.” he said. “What is that on my back?”
It looked like a metal exoskeleton running along his spine and up to his neck, where it connected with the pieces that formed the mouthguard in front. Izuku realized it was covering part of the base of his neck. When he touched it, he found it was formed almost perfectly to it, moving surprisingly well when he twisted his neck. Hatsume rushed forward and snapped the metal piece she was measuring against him into his costume, manipulating a few plates.
“It’s protection!” The pink-haired girl told him. “When we reinforced your boots and upped the protection on the suit in general, I thought, why shouldn’t we provide some protection to your spine? After all, if you break it, it’s game over.” she said airily. “No hero work after that.” Izuku winced, but she was right. It was a good idea. He probably should have thought of it sooner, after taking All Might’s knee to the back during the exam.
“And the mouthguard?” he asked, touching it. It felt bigger, and he could see some electronic bits along the edges. Mei leaned forward, tapping on the inside and holding an earpiece up in her palm.
“Built-in communicator. Not that you need it right now, but in the future, for sure.” She pressed something and pulled the mouthguard up to his face and it abruptly shinked! into place. The piece on the back extended up his neck, to completely cover his c-spine, the mouth guard locking it.
“Oh.” he said, his voice taking on a tinny tone through the metal. “This is weird.” he said.
“I added this compartment, so that you could theoretically store the gas you breathe out when you aren’t using it and make some bigger fireballs-,” It was similar to the grenade bracers Bakugo used and Izuku was mentally hitting himself for not thinking of it first.
“So I can breathe fire through this?” he asked curiously and she nodded.
“In fact, it should even help provide you with some extra strength and direction for your fire whip!”
She went through a few more changes, with him removing the mouthguard. There were a few small things, but apparently Power Loader had physically restrained her from adding too much more. She installed some sensors into the suit so she could check readings against the heat from his fire and the strain he put on it and adjust it. She took notes and told him he would have the added changes soon, as soon as he got the data back to her, before sending him on his merry way.
He had a feeling she snuck some more destructive items into his utility belt. He was certain, since once he left the room, walking back towards the training grounds in a daze, he realized that there were more items than she had explained in Power Loader’s presence.
He opened one of them and found a note begging him to just try it, and something that clearly extended, but he was too afraid to try it in the hallway as he walked.
He messed with the buttons, testing out the way the pieces fit together and extended, as he walked into the rocky training room. His friends were all practicing their moves, though Iida and Uraraka spotted him and waved.
“Deku!” She shouted from the air. “You upgraded your costume!” A few people paused to turn to look at the design.
“Yeah.” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hatsume took some liberties, but I like them. There are going to be a few more adjustments coming soon, but she asked me to get some data for her before she gets me the upgraded version.” He realized his voice came out tinny, and he reached up to lower the mouthguard, forgetting it was still up. The metal protection along his c-spine lowered as he did.
“Young Midoriya!” Izuku turned to see All Might waving at him, arm still in a sling. He grinned at Izuku, as he looked up and down his costume. “I see you have made some adjustments! They are quite interesting.” All Might leaned to check out the metal exo-skeleton along his spine. “Do you have any ideas for your ultimate moves?” Izuku brightened, nodding.
“I think I’ve already got the fire whip for sure.” Izuku said, before rubbing his head. “Beyond that, I’m not totally sure yet?” He let out a nervous laugh. “I do have a new style, I think, though I guess it was probably a long time coming.”
“I am quite excited to see it, young Midoriya.” All Might said with a wink. “I’ll let you test out your new suit.” Izuku smiled back, and he lifted the mouthguard, letting it extend again. He rolled his shoulders and glanced towards the giant rock formations.
He bent his knees, testing out the bracers. He thought they would be heavier, so he was ready to compensate for them.
When he took off, aiming for the rock to leap up it towards the top, he went flying . Something about the bracers was actually giving him boost , instead of being heavy and difficult like he thought they were going to be. He was rocketing up at a speed he had not expected.
He let out a garbled yell, shouting,
“ What did she DO? ” And laughter followed as he crunched against the side, getting a feel for the traction on the shoes. He twisted and leapt, zig-zagging up the crevice and skidding to a top on the rock. He used his hand to help slow his slide, ending in a crouch. He blinked, pedaling out his feet experimentally.
“Hey, Todoroki-kun!” he shouted, and his friend slowed his own experiments, turning around. “I’m gonna try something but Hatsume said she might have...super boosted it. If it gets out of control, could you throw up a few ice walls?” His friend nodded, and a loud whistle caught the class’s attention. People slowed to a stop, all turning to see Aizawa with his thumb and forefinger in his mouth, the whistle having come from him.
“Midoriya.” he called. “If Support needs the data, push to your top limit. We don’t want your suit disintegrating in the middle of the exam. Everyone, give him some space for a minute. Clear off.” There were some grumbles, but after Kirishima asked,
“Wait, are we going to see the fire whip?” And Izuku affirmed it, most people hurried off excitedly.
“Ectoplasm. Give him a target.” Their teacher called out and Izuku backed up as his target appeared. He was mentally charting his path, looking at the outcroppings and structures he could spring off of.
“ Go Deku! ” Uraraka cheered, as Izuku took a deep breath. He had the earpiece in, and when he went to fiddle with the mouthpiece, a robotic voice informed him in his ear that the compartment was 4% full.
So he was breathing out some gas normally. He decided to test the top limit, and he knew he could probably supply enough gas to do a few fire whips, so he slowly blew into the compartment until it informed him it was completely full.
He tensed his legs, calling up One for All, at 5%.
And actually , it felt pretty comfortable.
He had been using at 5% for a while, and he had definitely used 10% at Kamino Ward.
He pushed it.
And pushed it.
He wasn’t quite at 10%, he thought, but maybe 8%.
“ Any day now! ” Someone called and he waved a hand dismissively.
He took a deep breath, and took off.
Oh, FUCK .
XXXX
Shouta had seen the fire whip before, of course. A few times, even after Midoriya’s initial attempt. The thin whip of flames was white-hot and destructive, like a rotating column of fire that twisted through the air, snapping with his movement.
This...was different.
The flames that shot from Midoriya’s mouth were not the thin whip of before. They seemed just as hot, the temperature of the room rising the moment they appeared. But it was significantly thicker, with more propulsion than he was expecting from the get-go, shooting from Midoriya’s mouth at a high pressure.
The boy went whipping through the air, faster than before, and the whip snapped with a woosh .
It was more targeted than before, Midoriya having gotten more skilled at keeping it close to him, rather than careening out of control. But it was hot, thick, and dangerous .
There were screams of excitement from his class as the whip scorched the rock and sheared through Ectoplasm’s clone, immolating the top half of it as the whip struck downwards into the rock. Dust flew everywhere and Midoriya landed hard , the crunch as he stuck the landing audible.
Shouta grinned into his capture weapon. His smile got wider when Ectoplasm’s head snapped towards him. He could swear he heard the crack of his neck, his jaw hanging open.
“Shouta.” he said. “What are you feeding him?”
“Once again, he came like that.” Shouta responded, glancing at All Might, and the blonde man smiled sheepishly, barely able to tear his eyes away from the figure of his student crouched against the rock, the dust rising around him.
The green-haired boy straightened up, waving at his classmates who cheered back, the rock a mass of scorched rubble behind him. Shouta watched him lower the mouthpiece, and give his friends a sunny grin.