[Closed] You breathe into me at last

[bakusatsuo]

Who: Bakugou and Izuku
When: April 26th
Where: Mars' Coliseum
What: After a long period of basic training buildup, Bakugou finally judges Izuku ready for a practice fight with him. This is the first time they've ever stepped in the ring together!...as far as Izuku knows.

Warnings: None aside from Bakugou's usual mouth.

Bakugou knows he's been working Deku in ways the boy really hasn't needed to be worked for months. It's not like Deku needs to get a whole lot more fit than he already is; Bakugou suspects he's probably at the upper limit of what his body, right now, can achieve, and only growth as he gets older is going to bring Deku any closer to the physique of someone like All Might. (Or, possibly, Deku's just inherently not built like that; time will tell.) But the weight training, the stamina and endurance training, haven't really been meant to work Deku's body. He'd been hoping, instead, that Deku would start unconsciously tapping into One For All as he pushed his limits - that he'd naturally stumble across the technique of using One For All to limited degrees that he'd had to consciously cultivate back home. He'd also hoped that all that working out would give Deku heightened body control, so that no accidents happen when he actually ends up in a fight.

Also, All Might had told him that Deku had first needed to build up his body so he didn't just fucking explode from One For All's power to begin with, so if Deku did build himself up any more with the workouts Bakugou told him to do, then hopefully he at least won't break his own bones once he starts really hitting One For All's learning curve.

But whether or not any of the things Bakugou wanted to happen have by now, it doesn't fucking matter. It's high past time to see if any of it worked, and checking it out firsthand is the best way he can think of to gauge Deku's progress. He's given it plenty of time, and Bakugou can't keep Deku doing the athletic equivalent of busywork forever. Whatever risk there might be, to himself or to Deku, they need to get a feel for where Deku is right now, and Bakugou needs to start actively instructing him as best he can. He needs to catch Deku up to where he ought to be. He needs a proper rival to strive against, and having Deku as powerful backup as his shinki can't hurt either.

If the fight at the cultist compound made anything clear, it's that things aren't getting less dangerous for them.

He hasn't explained to Deku why he told the other boy to follow him out into the arena that's at the center of his temple, and it isn't until they're at the center of it that he turns to face Deku, rolling his neck and cracking his knuckles. "About time to see what you can fucking do. Think you can take me?"

Comments

[nonsenseprince]

Izuku certainly didn't plan on fighting his god today.

Since the fight at the cultist compound, he's been a lot more worried about how things are going for the city. He has friends here, now. He has Bakugou depending on him. He doesn't know if he's going to be enough.

But he's trying. He's training every day, doing exactly the things that Bakugou wants him to do. He watches Bakugou train, too, though that happens much less often. As far as Izuku knows, he's doing everything he can to learn proper hand-to-hand forms for the first time.

Still, none of that has prepared him for this moment, when Bakugou calls to him, takes him to the center point of the temple, and... well. There's nothing short of a threat, to this. Coming from Bakugou, anyway. Izuku looks stunned at first, and then quickly starts to, well... be himself.

"W-what?! Take you?! Take you where?! Fight??"

[bakusatsuo]

Bakugou rolls his eyes. "Of course fight. What the fuck did you think I dragged you out here for? You've been doing basic training long enough; it's time to put it into goddamn practice actually fighting somebody."

[nonsenseprince]

Izuku balks at him, eyes wide as he stares for a few seconds.

"But it's you..." His god, his trainer--he's supposed to fight Bakugou? The idea is ludicrous. He's going to die. "Are you sure you want me to do this?"

[bakusatsuo]

"Of course it's fucking me. Who better to train you than your own god? Besides, I'm one of the best damn fighters in this place, and I'm about your size and strength build-wise. You're not gonna get a better sparring partner." Bakugou gives him an irritable look. "What're you so fucking scared of? It's not like I'm asking you to beat me. I'm asking you to see what you can fucking do."

[nonsenseprince]

Izuku is actually fairly calmed by that last bit, not seeing to be bothered by the irritable look. He's getting used to it; it's just how Bakugou is, in his book, and it's never seemed to actually denote any change in his level of faith in him.

In fact, he seems more irritated that Izuku isn't rising up to the faith Bakugou is putting in him currently. So he takes a moment, and he breathes, and he nods.

"... Alright. Just hand to hand, right?"

Izuku moves carefully into stance, and Bakugou will at least be pleased that he's well-centered. When he started out, he was garbage at this. At least he has it together now.

[bakusatsuo]

"No," Bakugou replies flatly. "With everything you can do. With everything I can do. You've got enough power to give me a decent run for my money if you figure out how to use it, and if you haven't already started figuring that out, today's gonna be a crash course to get you caught the fuck up." He crouches slightly, spreading his arms, hands curled open-palmed at his sides. "I told you to try to start tapping into it, right? See how much it takes to keep up with me."

[nonsenseprince]

Izuku loses his stance a little bit when Bakugou tells him no; they're going all out? Is that okay? Will they break something?

Izuku's been nervous about using his power. He knows he has it, and that Bakugou told him it's the same power that they use in his vessel form. But when he's activated it, it's felt like so much more, and he's never let it release because of that. He's tried to just figure out how to make it be less... volatile.

"But--I might hurt something." At least he's honest about those anxieties. "I haven't used it right yet. It's not safe."

[bakusatsuo]

"And what, you think not using it forever is the way to polish up those skills?" Bakugou bares his teeth. "You've gotta fucking make a start somewhere, dumbass! Ramp it up slow! You oughta know what your body can take by now, right? You know what your limits are? Then push past 'em a little at a time! And learn to think fast and improvise, 'cause you can't stand around muttering in the middle of a fucking fight!"

[nonsenseprince]

Izuku huffs, listening to the oddly-inspiring chastising way Bakugou yells at him, and he finds that, as usual, he's having trouble getting upset about the words. Bakugou is right. If he doesn't figure his shit out, he's not going to be useful. He's not going to be powerful enough to protect Bakugou when he needs it, or any of the other friends he's made.

So he adjusts his stance, centers himself a little bit lower, and takes a deep breath.

Bakugou might find it interesting when Izuku activates One For All; the technique he uses is, right away, Full Cowling. Without the image of All Might in his head, the idea of what he's supposed to be with the power he has, he hasn't pushed himself into a corner. He just knows he has this power, has something so dangerous in him, and his current practice with it has been this. Sitting still, activating the power, and feeling it move through his body.

"... Okay." Izuku watches Bakugou with careful eyes. "Then... I'm ready."

[bakusatsuo]

It is indeed interesting - not to mention encouraging; Bakugou had wanted this, even if he didn't know how to push for it - but, in retrospect, it makes perfect sense. Deku had told him about how he'd dangerously over-focused on his arms primarily as a result of trying to imitate All Might; a Deku who doesn't remember All Might has no one to emulate. He's going to develop his own techniques for One For All, completely free from any preconceptions of how to use it.

Bakugou finds himself baring his teeth in a grin. That's fucking exciting. He'd been so busy focusing on how to bring Deku back up to where he'd been back home that he hadn't considered that maybe this Deku is going to develop into a completely different beast. Someone with new tricks, who can push him in new ways.

Deku may not remember how to fight Bakugou like this...but Bakugou has to factor in that he may not know how to fight this Deku, either.

He licks his lips, then launches himself forward without further preamble. Consciously, he chooses to go for one of the most successful tricks he'd used on Deku during their very first match together - when he'd used Blast Rush Turbo to close the distance, then re-positioned himself behind Deku with a couple strategic explosions to blast him from behind. He picks the maneuver precisely because he knows he caught Deku out with it in the past, and he wants to contrast how this new Deku responds to it.