[closed] sometimes the only payoff for having faith

[blindfoldcode]

Who: Team Aidos (Izuku, Kido and Shouto)
What: Prayer 20
When: Whatever day today is ICly
Where:n The Near Shore
Warnings: fighting an ayakashi and also a team of self-sacrificing dumbasses.

Kido's used to Deku's selfless streak. They've done a few prayers now. Kind ones and weird ones and ones that they probably should've walked out (2/3 crossdressing in a team is not like the greatest score here). But they've always been safe. Deku seems to play things safe when he can, and she appreciates that. Calm prayers, safe prayers, and a few incredibly dangerous incidents of bullshit thanks to the heavens. But that does mean she's not used to facing something this big or dangerous by choice.

And a part of her wants to shake her boss because why. Morality and shame does not mean freaking war, Izuku. Why do you insist on punching things you shouldn't punch?

"If we get messed up doing this, boss, I'm never going to forgive you."

They're gonna get messed up probably.

She's never going to forget it.

Comments

[blindfoldcode]

Holy shit. Kido's impressed by the both of them actually.

She's quiet, still reeling from the slip up, but she's very impressed. If these guys are paired up,s she doesn't think anything can stop them.

[fullcowl]

The ayakashi that Shouto manages to impale shatter into pieces, completely destroyed. He takes the brief moment to catch his breath, a hand against the pocket of Shouto Kido's been placed in.

"Thank you." To both of them, there's no way he could do this without them both.

He's unaware of Kido's thoughts, but her perception manipulation has been critical during this prayer. There's no way they would have managed this much without her.

He settles back into fighting position as soon as his breath is back. Right back at it, destroying the ayakashi that manage to get at him with the ice wall surrounding them.

[icyhot]

He - hadn't quite expected that to actually work, despite the innate knowledge about his own power. This form is harder to get a good gauge of things in, even if they have a broader range of vision and perception. But Shouto is at least relieved that it means Izuku's got a shield between him and the ayakashi. They'll either have to risk the spikes to get above him, or come around to attack him at the front. They're cornered, but also can control it, a little.

Despite the success, though, he doesn't think he has as much control over this as he'd like. The attack wasn't as big as he was imagining, but at least it's managed to help somehow.

But there's one good thing about this.

"They have to come around front, Midoriya. If Kido can draw more of them in for a second, you wouldn't have to control the attack or be precise, you could just send up a wall of ice to take out a wave. It'd enclose us, but it'd be a chance to regroup at the same time."

[blindfoldcode]

"I can do it." She sounds strained, but determined at least. She doesn't want to let them down again, damnit.

"Just tell me when."

[fullcowl]

"Make us obvious- now!" He can't control the ice all that well- but what he can do is push it all the way to 100 percent. If it's just a straightforward wall, he can do that much.

He readies the attack, as soon as the akayashi start swarming them, a giant ice wall should be put up. And then Izuku staggers with the force of the power- it's not like over doing it with One for All, but it's draining all the same.

[icyhot]

"Just a little longer," Shouto tells Kido. Because even with his attention outwards, he can pick up on that. And while Izuku is focused on his attack, he can do this.

And he immediately compensates for the decrease in temperature, the rush of wind that comes with the sheer force of what he's doing. It's easy enough to help regulate against this, although harder when he can't use his fire side in conjunction with the vest. Izuku's clothes would go up in flames, and if he can't control the ice then there's no way he's going to even consider fire.

[blindfoldcode]

"Try to stay on your feet, boss. You might not be able to get up if you fall." Ice is a thing, man. Ice is a thing.

She would really like to not completely torch the area, guys, so she appreciates not using fire. But don't get hypothermia, either.

[fullcowl]

"I'm alright." He's exhausted, but with that last ice wall, he's fairly certain they've gotten rid of all the akayashi in the ice prison they've built. But he's not the one that can see all around.

He reaches out to rest a palm against a spike of ice for some kind of balance. Shouto's keeping him from freezing over, but it doesn't do too much for his physical exhaustion, using both quirks at the same time with so little practice on Shouto's.

"How are we looking? Anything left...?"

[icyhot]

Ice is a major thing right now. Shouto is at least glad that the semi-circle is behind them, so that Izuku doesn't go anywhere, and that Kido - for as awkward as it is to have a shinki inside a shinki - is securely in one of his pockets. They're not going anywhere.

Unfortunately, as he gets a look at things...

"... well, there's one left."

Guess which one it is.

[blindfoldcode]

You know, Kido could've done without this, really. It would've been nice for that to have been the end of it.

"We can get out of here if you're running out of steam, Deku. Don't push yourself too hard. It's not gonna help anybody if you get killed." She doubts he'll walk away from this now. But she has to make sure he knows that it's an option.

[fullcowl]

He heaves himself back to his feet. "We're going to see this through. And then we're going to go home and rest for a week." Or at the very least, Izuku is planning on sleeping through the week, his partners are perfectly free to join him. (If only they knew.)

"I can manage it. Besides, it's the one the prayer specified." Let's get this over with.

"Bring it to us."

One last ice wall or one last punch- he can manage that much, as big as it is, it's still just an ayakashi, and with them together they can rend it out of existence.

[icyhot]

Though he has no lungs, Shouto definitely sighs at that answer. Of course that's what he'd pick.

Not that he can say he'd choose something else. They can't leave this unfinished, especially when the ice won't last forever. They can't keep it trapped there until they can try again, later. So he just accepts the fact that they're going to probably have to carry Izuku to bed, after this is all over.

"You use any more ice, you'll risk hypothermia or frostbite. I can only regulate your temperature so much without using fire."

[blindfoldcode]

She can't tense, but if there's a mental feeling similar to clenching your jaw, she feels that. She addresses Shouto first--

"If I'm what you're worrying about there, then use it." She has to make sure protecting her doesn't get in the way of taking care of Deku. Maybe it's selfish to think they're worried about her. But she has to clear that first.

Then she hesitates, steels herself, and addresses Deku's order. "We can do this. Get ready."

It's hard not to be nervous when things are like this. But she has to push herself, and without a second thought, she throws the switch again. Anyone in sight would've been staring at Deku now. Good thing it's just the ayakashi.

[fullcowl]

She's absolutely what they're worried about here. They both saw her panicked during the firestorm a few days ago, but if she says so, he has no reason to doubt her.

With the entire area blocked off by ice, there's very little danger of it spreading any father than the lot. A swift motion of his left side. A burst of fire. An incinerated ayakashi.

And a completely exhausted Izuku, who is sinking to the slowly melting ground.

At least the fire dissipates quickly, it doesn't stick around like the ice does.

"Todoroki Shouto. Tsubomi Kido." It doesn't cross his mind to take Kido out of Shouto, or to take Shouto off just yet. They're finally finished here, they can go back to being their human selves.

[icyhot]

There's no immediate answer to Kido, considering Izuku decides to go ahead and use fire himself. Shouto is the one to 'tense' this time, concerned for both of them, considering Izuku isn't used to his quirk and Kido's reaction to the flames at the picnic. But with her safely tucked away on the right side, at least she's further away from it and in something he's going to bank on being fireproof, unlike Izuku's clothing.

But, the ayakashi is rent and incinerated. Some of the ice is melted, especially that underneath him, and he doesn't sink down onto a cold slab of it when he says their names.

Unfortunately, he says their names without taking him off or removing Kido from her safe space. Because of their arrangement, Kido is sandwiched between Shouto's chest and Izuku's back, and he's basically draped over the both of them.

This is awkward, but he's also worried about the exhausted god that they're in possession of, now. "Midoriya - "

[blindfoldcode]

That was probably the most disorienting thing she's ever been through, including the first time she changed into her vessel form. She doesn't understand how she got here or where here is for a good moment.

It takes a little bit for her to realize the position they're all in. If it had just been her, she would've been happy to relax with a person on top of her that would be fine she's kind of stressed ATM.

But Deku's under her so she's going to at least try to shrug Shouto off so she can get off of him.

"H-hey boss? You're awake, right?"

And hopefully not crushed by the additional weight of two people. Like at least not physically crushed you're already emotionally weighed down by their burdens but.

[fullcowl]

Izuku is much stronger than he looks- and that's very obvious now that his shirt has more or less been burnt off of his left side. He's muscular underneath the clothes he tends to wear. So the fact there are two people on top of him isn't at all worrying.

It's been a long day, and it's only just hit afternoon, he thinks.

He groans in exhaustion underneath his two shinki. "I am. Let's rest for a little while."

He wants to rest for a week. A solid week of doing nothing but watching movies and staying in his apartment.

[icyhot]

Kido's movements get Shouto to move, but instead of just outright backing up - there's not much room for that behind him - he reaches around to help with getting Izuku upright. It'll... reverse their pile, as he slumps into the ice at his back without even registering the temperature, with his body immediately adjusting his temperature to accommodate for all of the goddamn ice, and it's warming up their space rather quickly given their proximity. But he's not the one that just punched a bunch of ayakashi and overused a quirk that he's not used to.

Besides, it lets Kido move, since Izuku is pliable in his exhaustion and shorter than her.

"I'm going to have to get up to melt the ice," he points out, a little awkwardly, because he's not sure what to do with himself and all this physical contact and closeness. At least the fire melted some of it already...

[blindfoldcode]

She thought they worked pretty well together when they fought. Now... now she's starting to think they should probably work on how to stick the landing. It takes her a minute to wriggle out from in between them (she is a girl and regardless of who they are, she's gonna be embarrassed being squished between two guys), moving to at least sit up. She doesn't move far. She's literally just going to be sitting right next to them.

She's probably the least worn out of them, so she's gonna try to check on them at least.

When she realizes Deku's shirt has taken a dire hit, she pulls off her hoodie. When he can sit up, she'll make him wear it or something.

"We can't rest here. You're gonna get sick."

[fullcowl]

Izuku is nothing more than dead weight at this point, he doesn't move while Kido wiggles out of the pile, but now his head is directly against Shouto's chest. At any other time he would be spouting apologies and getting up immediately, but he's just too exhausted to do anything other than accept it.

"Todoroki is warm." He's not actually sure if he can get sick given his apparently divine nature. But he's content to just lie on top of his friend turned shinki for a little longer.

"I'll get up soon."

[icyhot]

Going still with the way that Izuku winds up resting against him, he just - sits there for a bit, hands raised at his shoulders and hovering there. He's not sure what to do with this, still, but he does eventually shift a little to sit up straighter without removing him from his person. He also turns up the temperature that bit more, as he looks at Kido and then down at the charred shirt.

"... between what happened at the picnic, the fact Midoriya's never used my powers before, and this - " he points down at the part of his shirt that doesn't exist anymore. " - it was smarter to use fire as a last resort."

He looks up, then, at all of the ice around them. "We'll have to work on your output, but that went better than I expected it to."

[blindfoldcode]

She tosses the jacket on Izuku. At least cover up. Then she leans back on her palms, the adrenaline starting to drain out of her.

"That was closer than it should've been... We have to stop doing the weird prayers, boss..."

[fullcowl]

He just lies there against Shouto, letting Kido's jacket settle over him.

"What? You're not cold?" He at least has Shouto's quirk keeping him warm for the moment.

He considers the request. "The only really weird prayer we dealt with was yesterday's. Protecting people from ayakashi, that's part of a god's job too." Even if it doesn't traditionally fall in line with what Aidos represents, Izuku's too willing to fight for other people to let a prayer like that go. Besides, it's part of what a hero does- he won't say that part.

"I need practice with Todoroki's powers- the next time we do something like this we'll be better off." Especially since it seems like it isn't controlled by him the way Kido's is- or at least not to that extent.

[icyhot]

"If we keep taking prayers involving ayakashi, or confront them without prayers, we should probably at least strategize for possible scenarios before we take them."

Because he can't say he'd want to stop taking these prayers, either, the ones where they defeat an actual enemy to make sure people stay safe. But Shouto also wants them to stay safe - at least Izuku and Kido, who he wants to help now that he's here.

But he shifts, finally, from underneath the god so that he can get him more upright. "Sit with Kido and put the hoodie on, Midoriya. We need to go home so you can rest, which means the ice needs to go."

[blindfoldcode]

She bites her tongue on saying there are other gods who can deal with it sometimes. She doesn't want to be the only one arguing the issue.

"Just put on the shirt." And don't set that one on fire, please. It's important to her. She thinks. Either way it's one of the only things she had from when she was alive, so it's important to her.