For Royal.
*****
"Problem Child, follow me."
Izuku's head snapped up from his essay, eyes wide in confusion as he observed the retreating form of his Sensei.
It was a Saturday in the dorms and the boy had just positioned himself in, what was becoming, his favorite chair in the common room (angled near the window, providing lots of natural, warm sunlight), determined to finish his English assignment before the afternoon was done.
Turns out verb tenses and latent phrases were hard .
But then...
" Now , Problem Child."
"Oh, uh, r-right!"
So much for his essay.
Izuku was confused as he hastily shoved his schoolwork into his backpack and scrambled after his homeroom teacher, who'd languidly pushed open the door and stepped onto the porch of 1-A's dorm. He earned a few curious glances from some of his classmates (Bakugo shooting him a fierce glare before turning back to his own schoolwork) but no one dared say anything.
Aizawa peered back at the boy, eyes narrowed and a firm, thoughtful scowl on his face as he huffed tiredly before moving down the stairs and towards the walkway that led to the main campus.
"We don't have all day, Problem Child so hurry up." Izuku, who swallowed back the sudden wave of panic that threatened to overwhelm him, trotted behind the man, fingers idly grasping at the straps of his backpack, confusion and trepidation making his palms feel slick, his feet heavy.
He didn't understand what was going on.
What were they doing?
Why were they--
"You're not in trouble," Aizawa's voice cut through Izuku's muddled thoughts, as he tilted his head briefly towards the fretting boy, "It's just time that we address an... issue ." Izuku didn't miss the way the man's gaze lingered on the boy's arms, clad in their compression sleeves, bearing the scars and damage of some rather...regrettable choices (though not regrettable enough that he wouldn't have done the same thing again to protect Kouta from Muscular).
And if Aizawa's comment was meant to make the boy feel any better, well, it didn't .
Still, Izuku nodded in agreement towards the man, his tongue feeling too thick to verbalize any thoughts or feelings.
This earned a frown from Aizawa, though he too stayed silent. .
They continued walking.
*****
"Midoriya."
Izuku had been surprised when they'd entered Gym Gamma. He was even more surprised to see Shinsou sitting near the mats, stretching his legs.
And it seemed that Shinsou was just as surprised to see him .
"Sensei?"
The amaranthine-haired boy furrowed his brows towards Aizawa who folded his arms and leaned easily against the closed gym doors.
He was effectively trapping them in.
"I asked Midoriya to come because both of you need some additional training."
Shinsou's eyes flickered to Izuku briefly, a small frown tugging at his lips as he clamored to his feet.
"I don't see why he needs to be here" the boy remarked, the smallest hints of annoyance lacing his tone, "He's 'Mr. Power Quirk'. It's not like he's deficient in hero prowess or anything."
Izuku didn't miss the jab leveled at him.
"But he is lacking in precision and diversity" Aizawa cut in smoothly, walking towards the cupboard, keys jangling in his hand. "His injuries from the forest training are proof of that."
Sharp, violet eyes turned towards Izuku who felt the heat rising on the back of his neck. He hastily planted his vision towards his crimson shoes, willing the floor to swallow him.
Yes... well ...
'Had you just been a little faster' a treacherous voice whispered in the back of his mind. 'Kacchan wouldn't have been captured and All Might wouldn't have--'
"Midoriya has power, but that won't make up for lack of skill. As it stands, both of you need to work on precision and footwork. And--" Aizawa frowned at Shinsou, "Both of you ought to learn to fight without your quirks for various reasons."
Then the man brought out two long, wooden swords.
And, what ?
"Let's get started."
*****
Shouta watched the two boys carefully as they went through their paces, each student taking a turn at lunging towards their opponent, before utilizing a parry and then a feint to disengage with one another.
It was standard, generic sword-fighting techniques, but they were useful techniques, especially for those needing practice in agility and controlling the strength of their blows. The movements also trained the boys to work on lean muscle growth as well as footing and reaction time.
Plus, the lack of quirk usage forced the two to consider close combat and defensive strategies.
"Midoriya, your footing is off," Their teacher called out lowly, earning an embarrassed mewl from the green-haired kid and a smirk from his lavender-haired counterpart.
"Not so perfect after all,"' Shinsou had muttered as Midoriya ducked his head.
Shouta sent a disapproving frown towards the taller student who gave a sheepish grin in reply, leaning on his wooden weapon and rubbing his hand gently behind his head, seeming to ignore the silent reprimand.
"I still don't understand why we have to do this anyway, teach," Shinsou remarked with a wide grin, eyes glinting dangerously in expectation for Shouta's reply. He was challenging the man, egging him on and baiting him.
Midoriya's own eyes were wide, but he'd chosen to stay silent, unwilling to overstep his bounds as the third party to this conversation. He seemed to understand Shinsou's nature and intention, even if the amethyst-eyed boy didn't quite see it yet himself.
The kid was wise, he'd give him that.
Because, beneath the biting criticism and Shinsou's questioning, the man could see (and he suspected Midoriya could as well) the briefest flickers of vulnerability and he knew that boy was concerned, debating why Shouta was unwilling to teach Shinsou how to use a capture weapon just yet after he'd promised.
There was a level of mistrust between them and he could see the way the boy seemed to weigh the truthfulness of Shouta's intentions.
And more importantly, the boy was concerned about Midoriya's presence in what had been their private training sessions. Why bring in a kid who already had immense offensive power?
Why set Shinsou up for that level of potential embarrassment (which was not what Shouta intended at all).
But convincing the kid of that was going to be a challenge.
And then there was the other one, the problem child who had more secrets and peculiarities than any other student he'd ever dealt with.
"Go through your paces again and this time focus on keeping your feet at a thirty degree angle to promote better balance, Midoriya. Shinsou, make sure you practice the pressure you put into your lunges. You're lacking in that department."
"Right!" Midoriya gave a nod towards his teacher, face pinched in determination, as it was Shinsou's turn to look perturbed by Aizawa's assessment.
However, the other boy only nodded curtly in reply, biting comments silent, before turning a narrowed gaze back to the verdant haired hero in training.
They started up again, each sucking in a low breath before charging towards the center of the mat as Aizawa nodded in approval before ducking out the door.
Of course, when he'd returned after fetching a few bottles of water, their teacher could feel the way the room dropped a few degrees as the two squared off.
And really, he should have known this is what was going to happen. Two weeks of dealing with their practice sessions and Midoriya's incessant questions, he was certain that Shinsou's patience would be tested.
He was right.
"I don't understand why we need to do this," the boy groused again, eyes trained on the shorter boy who stood, clearly focusing his attention on his footwork (as he'd been instructed) "Or why I have to do this with you of all people."
They hadn't noticed Shouta's return, it seemed.
"I didn't volunteer for this," Midoriya remarked quietly in return, panting lightly as he adjusted the grip on his blade, "But it's not a bad idea for us to train like this. Quirkless combat is useful when we don't have the ability to effectively use our powers, or if they'd be more of a danger than a benefit..."
Shinsou observed Midoriya's movements for a moment, as the other prattled on about the practicality of the exercise, before he took the opportunity to lunge forward, bearing down his opponent's wooden blade with a forceful strike that left smaller boy straining from the angle of the blow.
Shinsou was clearly using his height to his advantage (which was smart, Shouta noted).
But, Midoriya was no slouch and easily pivoted and managed to pull his own blade out of the blow, ducking beneath Shinsou's renewed strike. Midoriya grinned as he raised his own blade and lunged downward, against Shinsou's weapon, the force of his blow much fiercer than the one against him had been.
It only lasted a moment, though, before Shinsou managed to pull himself out of Midoriya's range, wincing as he shook his hand to free it from the aftershock of Midoriya's hit.
And there was the dynamic.
Izuku was the stronger offensive fighter, Shinsou the faster and more precise defensive one.
And yet, for all their positive attributes...
"Why are you holding back?"
Midoriya's voice cut through the man's thoughts and Shouta quirked a surprised brow towards the pair, watching how Shinsou's face contorted into a look of utter annoyance.
His eyes flashed dangerously at the freckled face across from him.
'Ahh...'
"I'm not," Shinsou spat in reply, "And just because you have a fancy quirk doesn't mean you can lecture me on my use of strength."
"But that's not true, Shinsou," Midoriya pressed, his voice soft, but firm, his verdant eyes steely and certain. Aizawa briefly contemplated the reasoning behind the kid's determination to expose Shinsou's lie (the same he noticed) but refrained in favor of observing for a moment longer.
Because, both kids were hiding something from the other.
"And I don't know why you're not willing to fight me at your full strength" Midoriya continued, "Don't you want to get better at this and show everyone that--"
"This isn't a game for me, Midoriya," Shinsou remarked darkly, "I'm not looking for a friend to lecture me on my use of strength or abilities so just butt out."
Izuku frowned, grip tightening around the hilt of his sword. Shouta could see the way the boy's shoulders tensed in anticipation for what was going to happen next if he continued to purposefully bait Shinsou.
Nevertheless, the boy did.
"I'm only trying to help," Midoriya continued, frowning at Shinsou, "I know that you're looking to transfer into the hero course and that other people think your quirk isn't practical for it. But, if you're able to master some other techniques--"
Shinsou lunged toward Midoriya again, teeth bared. Clearly the verdant-haired boy had struck a nerve.
"You don't get to lecture me" Shinsou snapped again, "You don't get to accuse me of anything. I'm working with you on this stupid practice, aren't I?"
Izuku was knocked backwards, falling hard onto his rear as Shinsou pressed his advantage in speed, striking repeatedly to force Midoriya's footfalls to falter.
But, Izuku was also quick to recover, and managed a roll out of Shinsou's strike zone before stumbling to his feet, knuckles white against the tanned wood of his hilt as he adjusted his stance to better balance himself.
"You were stronger in the sports festival."
And, oh that was a goading reply, wasn't it? It surprised Shouta that Midoriya of all people--the most affable and compassionate kid in the class--would make such a remark, clearly intending to piss off his opponent.
And it was working.
"Funny, I was going to say the same for you," came the biting reply as it was Shinsou's turn to brace for Midoriya's blow.
The shorter kid didn't hold back on his assault and landed two massive strikes against the other's wooden weapon, forcing a grunt from Shinsou whose arms shook at the force of the kid's strike.
"You think you can lecture me about how I use my strength when you're holding back from me as well?"
"I'm not," Midoriya ground out, feinting, pulling a spin, and lunging once more, "I'm not holding back from you."
"Then attack me with your actual strength you moron!" Shinsou spat, "Why don't you use that stupid quirk and get this over with rather than pretending that this training is anything close to what you want to be doing."
*****
Izuku stumbled, surprise washing over his face as his sword nearly slipped from his grip.
' What? '
Shinsou took the opportunity to rap his own blade against the other kid's knuckles.
But Izuku barely registered the flash of pain as he observed his opponent carefully. Shinsou was panting, a clear wave of frustration washing over his features as he stood across from Izuku's still form.
But Midoriya was confused.
Why would he...?
"Is that what you really think?" he queried of the other, pale boy before him. "Listen, I wouldn't have agreed to this exercise if I didn't--"
"Oh spare me," Shinsou retorted lowly, "I don't need you pandering to my good graces. You hero types are all alike. You rely on your powers and don't actually care for the hard work that others have to put in. It's always so easy for you."
Izuku wanted to snort at that because it was absurd to level that charge at Midoriya.
As it was, he elected to dodge Shinsou's next blow.
"You don't know what I've had to work at," He managed to snap in return, pulling himself back from the sword's strike, "I still don't have full control of my power yet--"
"And whose fault is that? It's no one's problem if the golden boy didn't take the time to practice his own quirk and build up an understanding of it." Shinsou let out a low huff, "You've just coasted because you were born with a heroic quirk and told that you'd be a hero no matter what."
And oh wasn't that rich?
"You idiot," the words fell from Izuku's mouth with little thought, "You think that I'd spend any time training with someone I didn't respect? I don't look down on you Shinsou" the boy continued, "I think you're a strong opponent. And you don't know half of what I've been through so don't accuse me of not understanding when you've not taken the time to understand me."
*****
Shouta watched the way Midoriya's eyes flashed as he took the offensive, despite his slight disadvantage.
The kids movements were coiled, tight, and far more precise as he leveled a powerful lunging strike down on Shinsou's blade, forcing the taller boy to stumble for the first time in this sparring match.
"You don't know anything about me, Shinsou" he continued to snap at the other boy, charging again, "You don't know anything about what my life was like be UA or how I was treated."
"I don't need to know that you were probably spoon-fed the lies that you could do no wrong, that you were the perfect hero material, and taught to look down on others like me who weren't so lucky. You've been pampered and coddled since you were a child. It was also so easy for you--"
"I was quirkless, you idiot!"
And just as quickly as the outburst escaped the boy's lips, Izuku Midoriya charged forward, eyes narrowed with a fury that Shouta had never quite seen in the boy's gaze before.
It was concerning.
'I was quirkless.'
And, hmm ...
"Don't patronize me!" Shinsou spat in reply, "I'm not looking for your pity or your friendship. You can't expect me to believe--"
"I didn't get my damned quirk until the entrance exam you moron, so don't tell me what I do or don't know about what it feels like to be pushed down by others!"
The smaller boy launched a flurry of assaults against Shinsou who had to dodge the slew of blows with a series of parries and a feint.
Shouta's grip on the water bottles tightened and his mouth fell open in mild surprise at what his student was claiming.
'The entrance exam? But...' the man's thoughts faltered, 'It was impossibly rare for something like that to happen, and if Midoriya was telling the truth ...?'
But why would the boy lie ? This was just a sparring match, so why would the kid lie to get a win in.
That didn't sound like something Midoriya would do. He wasn't that petty.
So, that meant...
Suddenly, the underground hero regretted several choices he'd made on behalf of Izuku Midoriya because so much made sense to the man--the deflection, the hesitancy to accept praise and censure, the skittishness...
The utter lack of self-preservation.
Because if the kid'd been quirkless and treated even half as poorly as Shinsou had (the latter having confided in him), then Izuku Midoriya bore more than just physical scars.
Dammit, both these kids were scarred, weren't they.
"You've got to be joking," came Shinsou's reply, though Shouta could tell it was far less annoyed and more...confused in tone than it had been before.
There was a beat of silence as the UA teacher observed the two silently.
And then Shinsou's eyes widened marginally as he leveled his sword towards the ground in favor of staring at Midoriya.
"Well, shit Midoriya, that explains a lot."
And, yeah , Shouta felt the same as he and Shinsou both stared at Midoriya who looked a mixture of anger and resignation.
"Yeah," the third boy replied, quieter this time, "I know what it's like so don't tell me that I can't understand you. And don't feed me that line about your quirk not being suited for heroics."
Midoriya lifted his head towards the slightly startled orchid-eyed teen.
"Your power doesn't determine your worth. Your quirk doesn't make you a hero or a villain or a success. You do. You fought so hard in the sports festival, trying to prove yourself as worthy of recognition for the hero course. But now..." Izuku waved his hands briefly, "You're giving up halfway. You don't want to put your full power into fighting me because you're either scared, jealous, or both ."
Midoriya frowned at Shinsou's still form, and Shouta focused his attention on the smaller teen, spying the tightness about the boy's eyes and mouth, recognizing the way his eyes flashed with a pain that he rarely let others see.
"I understand, more than anyone, what it feels like and what you've gone through. And I know that if you're going to fight, Shinsou, then you better give it your all or there's no point to trying to be a hero. Quirk or no."
And well, that was true.
And Shinsou seemed to realize it as well.
The boy nodded once in deference to Izuku and readied his stance, lifting the ligneous weapon to the ready.
"Then I won't hold back," he remarked simply.
And then the boy was off, charging forward, rapid fire footfalls propelling Shinsou towards Midoriya who raised his sword to parry at the last second.
The blow wasn't as strong as Izuku's might have been, but it was effective enough to throw the boy backwards.
Shinsou followed that lunge with another straightforward strike, bearing down on the small boy who grit his teeth in concentration as his arms shook from the effort to keep Shinsou away from him.
Out of reflex, Midoriya threw his leg outward and rammed a firm boot into Shinsou's stomach, forcing a choked cough to escape the other as he stumbled backwards.
And then Midoriya was on Shinsou like lightning.
Shouta watched with a thoughtful expression, detecting the faintest shifts in each opponents stance and attitude towards one another.
They'd gotten serious.
Finally
With a grunt, Izuku stumbled, bearing the brunt of Shinsou's hilt on his shoulder. This was followed by a swift kick towards the boy's stomach. And though Midoriya came away from the blow by rolling back and resting on his heels, he wasn't able to dodge the hilt of Shinsou's weapon smacking into his nose with a loud 'thwack'.
Droplets of sweat dripped from mussed curls as blood poured from the boy's nose. Izuku Midoriya grinned towards Shinsou Hitoshi and brought his weapon up to the ready position.
"Come on, is that it?" he mocked lightly, a competitive edge lacing his words. "I told you to give it your all."
This Midoriya, Shouta noted, was far more confident and vocal than the congenial teen that sat in his classroom everyday.
The competition was fueling his fire.
And it seemed to be rubbing off on Shinsou who grinned back lightly.
"Have it your way."
Shouta smirked at the next move.
Both boys charged at one another, swords raised in the familiar lunge, but, at the last second Shinsou feinted, dodged, and instead of putting his weight into striking down with his sword, he planted a firm kick into Midoriya's ribs, sending the boy sprawling backwards in a huff.
Izuku, smacked into the mat with a 'whoosh' and hastily struggled to his feet, sword gripped tightly in his hand.
But Shinsou was there to meet him, his superior speed giving him the slightest leverage against the greater brute force of Midoriya's blow that came striking down on Shinsou's blade.
And then...
With a swift parry and pivot, the boy pulled his sword back and slammed the broad side of the weapon into Midoriya's hip before sweeping his leg out to knock the other boy flat onto his back.
Izuku gave a choked gasp, as Shinsou placed the tip of his wooden blade at the other kid's throat.
"Yield."
*****
Shinsou was panting by the end of the exercise and, after Midoriya easily gave up, conceding defeat, did the taller teen flop down on the mat beside the verdant-haired opponent, both lapsing into a silence only broken by their heavy breathing.
The boy's lavender hair was stuck to his forehead in a haphazard as he turned towards the freckled face of Izuku Midoriya, watching the way the kid's emerald eyes flickered critically, clearly in the process of analyzing what had just happened.
But, in the blink of an eye, the smaller boy swiveled his attention towards Shinsou whose eyes widened at the appraisal he was receiving from the other boy.
"You're really quick on your feet!" Midoriya remarked, clearly unperturbed by his loss, "Would you mind showing me how you can pivot so seamlessly? You seemed to have a natural understanding of how your pacing ought to be and I could use some help in building up speed and dexterity with my footwork."
Oh. Well...
Shinsou wasn't quite sure what to do with the praise and the query the boy, he'd thought of as a pretentious prick, was giving him.
He found himself nodding as he searched the boys face, looking, searching for...
He found it in Midoriya's eyes, buried beneath a shining cheerfulness, there was the same guarded expression swirling in those green orbs that matched the one Shinsou wore on his face.
Midoriya was just better at hiding it, it seemed.
But it proved to Shinsou that the kid hadn't been lying.
They were a lot alike.
"Alright you two, that's enough for today."
'Yeah' the boy thought as he slowly lifted himself up to a sitting position, watching Midoriya wipe the blood from his nose, onto his sleeve. 'Yeah this was more than enough for one day.'
*****