Chapter 22.6- One thousand Hands

XXXXX- FOUR MONTHS LATER

“I don’t think we need her” I instantly refuted Izuku’s idea before he’d even finished bringing it up.

“Well, I think we do. The two of us have been working with each other for months now and I still haven’t managed to get anything done other than getting my ass kissed day in and day out”

“Not months. Between your missions, it’s more like only a few sessions of time we’ve gotten together. I think we can still achieve this if we keep working together and don’t give up. I can feel it.”

“I wonder how you can feel anything other than the feeling of my teeth cracking against your fist since the eyes in question are mine and not yours” I chuckled at the point and shrugged.

“I don’t like the way she gets sometimes, and you know that with an issue like this she’s going to be at her very worst self” I told him, not feeling good about criticising my teammate even if the words were true. I just wan ted to protect my best friend, and in a matter like this, he did need protecting.

“I grew up with her, Shori. She’s smug and can be mean at times but she’s not cruel. You know this, as well”

“Then why didn’t you go to her in the first place?” I said, ashamed to see the way part of me relished in him rearing backwards from my words. Point to me.

“You’re right, Okay. I didn’t go to her because she would have been mean and smug about it and would not even have been much help” He conceded, and I nodded, making a token attempt to not have the smile that erupted at my face seem too smug.

“Buttttt things have changed now.” he said.

“What things have changed?”

“You. We’ve been trying to get it done together for more or less four months now. The second I tell her that, she’s going to relish the chance to achieve something that neither of us could” He said, stealing the wind from my sails almost instantly.

“Well played” I said after a few seconds of silence. If the words had seemed reluctant, then it was purely because I hadn’t thought Izuku as capable of playing the two of us against each other so effectively. In hindsight, that was perhaps a shortsighted view of things.

“So when are we going to see her?”

“Already did. She should already be on her way” He said, bursting into laughter when I felt my left eye begin to twitch against my will.

“So what have you clowns tried?” She asked upon arrival, not even attempting pleasantries. I jut sighed, more than used to it, while Izuku smiled instead. Of course he still felt smug at the success of his manipulations.

“Progressive overload, just me beating his arse six ways to Sunday and past that, genjutsu, traps, capture and even simulated interrogation” I said, listing out the long list of failed experiments we’d made.

“Well, I can see why you both needed me here. He needs to strive against an opponent close to his strength level but not far above” She said.

“So I’m too strong to spar against him” I said, placing my chin on my hand and nodding faux-sagely

“I doubt that” She replied