Ticked Off [Boku No Hero Academia]

39: PREPARATIONS

Yeah, yeah, you know what I'm gonna say. Eat, sleep, medicate, drink - be kind to yourself!

Enjoy the chapter, cuties <33

Discord server, if you solemnly swear you're up to no good: https://discord.gg/DSBF4dP

~

The lights were off in the gym, shrouding it in ominous shadows. Izuku crouched silently in a corner, hidden behind a stack of mats and waiting patiently. A rush of air and a faint creak indicated the door opening, a spiky-haired silhouette flooding across the natural light oozing into the large room. There was a long pause, followed by a deep breath, and soft, cautious footsteps as the person plucked up the courage to enter.

"Uh... you here, bro?" Eijirou cleared his throat, slow paces indicating he was turning in place to peer around him. "Yo, Izuku, what did you n-"

Izuku leapt out of his hiding place, deliberately avoiding using his Quirk to keep himself concealed. He shot towards his friend, who yelped and froze up, only to immediately shift into a fighting stance. Eijirou automatically crossed one arm in front of his hardened face, the other reaching out to grab at the human projectile. Izuku dropped and rolled underneath, sliding behind his friend and folding his arm behind his back and grabbing the nape of his neck.

"Nice reflexes, Eijirou-kun," he commented brightly, nearly dropping his classmate when the boy relaxed abruptly.

"You scared the hell outta me, dude," Eijirou wheezed, shaking out his freed arm and turning around, eyes closed and head tilted slightly back as he tried to recover from the spook.

"Sorry," Izuku giggled, stepping over to turn on the lights. "I just wanted to test you and see how you responded. You did super well!"

"...thanks?" The boy rubbed the back of his head, smiling uncertainly. "How come you wanted to spar with me, though, Izuku? Don't you normally do that with Tenya, Shouto, and, uh... that Gen Ed guy... what's his name, um... oh!" He clicked his fingers, eyes brightening. "Hitoshi!"

"Yeah, but I wanted to help you strengthen your Quirk, because it's kinda difficult to do that alone, right?" Izuku tilted his head to the side, blinking amicably. "Plus, work study is coming up, and it's always good to change sparring partners every so often so you don't settle into a routine, and some extra practise never hurt anyone, so, um... You don't have to, of course! I'd totally understand if-"

"Nah, bro! I think this'll be super helpful for me, because you probably know how my Quirk works better than me right now, I bet!" He flashed his sharp teeth, pointing to his puffed chest with a thumb. "I'm not gonna refuse some super useful advice from the top student!"

"Great! So, you've got that super hard mode you're working on for a special move, right?" Izuku waited for the nod in response. "Okay, well, we should work on that today to improve how long you can hold it, and possibly learn how to be more agile, even whilst hardened. How does that sound?"