[At sixteen Izuku's considered a master waterbender in the city he lives. His kindness is endless, and his patience is near legend- according to the children he teaches, anyway. He laughs it off with a smile every time they say things like that to him. He fusses over the other benders, their form, their lives- if you place a person in front of Izuku he's going to care about them.
What he wasn't quite expecting was to be the one assigned to teach Avatar Shouto. And so he does as he's asked, spending a week with him, correcting his form, making sure his movements flow. But... there's still a certain something off about it. It's been two weeks now, and while he's not quite sure if Shouto regards him as a friend or simply a teacher, the same feeling of off remains.
Shouto told him his life's story and Izuku had to sit and think on it a while. It's a terrible thing, wanting to raise a child into a weapon. When he looks over at Shouto he sees a person more than the Avatar, more than a weapon, Shouto is a person. And that's what Izuku tells him, that he's the Avatar and a person and a hero. He delights in Shouto's huffed out laugh, takes him all around the city to help out the people in little ways. And at the end of the day, he's declared he's staying by Shouto's side and nothing could get rid of him.
It's their first day of traveling together, and Izuku wakes up first. He gets up and just watches Shouto completely at ease asleep and wishes Shouto could be at ease with himself, that circumstances weren't what they were.
When Shouto starts to wake up Izuku has to tear his eyes away and start to pack up his bedding, flush high on his cheeks. He really hopes Shouto didn't catch him staring.]
[ Some days, Shouto wishes that he wasn't born the Avatar. When he was young it had been exciting, because he wanted to be a hero like the Avatars before him, the ones that entered the world and changed it for the better. He told his mother as much, delight and pride at who he was in every line of his face when he smiled. And she looked proud of him, fond and caring. She taught him about using ice to protect himself and others, her specialty as a waterbender, and she did what she could to protect him, too.
But then his father stepped in to teach him firebending, a man who twisted the power of the element into something wrong. It was... it's marked him, in more ways than one, the most obvious sign of it the scar that mars his face now.
His waterbending and firebending are both powerful, but there's too much force in both of them. Shouto knows it, too. Knows that he's sharper instead of more fluid when it comes to bending water, rather than manipulating it into jagged spikes of ice and formidable walls. There's control in everything that he does still, because he'd had control literally beaten into him, but.
He's needed Izuku, to remember what it's like to be gentle and as calm as he appears to be on the outside. It's helped more than he can ever describe, and he's honestly grateful (and relieved) that he's decided to remain by his side as he learns his place in the world, and what his role as Avatar really means. From little gestures of help, to the big ones, Izuku has really helped to temper him and guide him in the right direction.
Which is, maybe, why it's so easy to remain at peace while he's asleep. Even if he's terribly groggy when waking up still - hilariously, even when he moves to sit upright, bedhead stark and eyes still closed. Izuku got off lucky, this morning. ] Mm.
[Shouto's power is his, not his father's. Even if the difficulty he has in firebending and waterbending are certainly Enji's fault. If Izuku can help him, even just a little bit, he'd like to. Which is why he came along on this journey- the biggest reason he came.
The other is a little selfish. He feels his heart thrum whenever he's close enough to Shouto. If Shouto left... when would he ever get to see him again? Besides, Shouto needs help tempering his waterbending, keeping it calm and steady. There's no reason Shouto's attacks need to be that jagged, not when they're only practicing together. The fluid movements are the basis of the whole style and he knows Shouto has troubles with that much.
For now though, he spares another glance at Shouto. Chuckles over his ridiculous bedhead and has to fight the urge to stroke through it. At least he's not awake enough to catch Izuku's staring.
He wonders if he can take advantage of that. Sneak in a little more admiration time in the mornings if he wakes up first.]
[ Another short, small noise escapes him when a part of his sleep-addled brain registers that Izuku has spoken to him, but Shouto doesn't immediately respond otherwise. It takes quite a bit for him to wake up when it's on his own, no rush needed, no disaster on the horizon. And Izuku is such a calming presence that he doesn't even really remember falling asleep the night before, despite the fact he was looking at the sleeping Izuku's face for a time before sleep claimed him after.
He doesn't know what to do what these feelings. Doesn't understand them. It isn't something he's ever felt before, even if he's known affection from his mother, from Fuyumi. (He hasn't seen Touya in years, and Natsuo only came into his life recently - no time for affection when you're still getting to know one another.)
But Shouto blinks open his eyes, bleary, sleep-heavy, and regards Izuku without really registering that he's been stared at. No, he feels something for his waterbending teacher, who has been trying to soothe the jagged motions that have bled over from firebending into his waterbending, turned flowing water into deadly ice from years and years. ]
G'morning. [ With the clearing of his throat to get rid of the thickness in his voice, he brings his hand up to rub his fist against his eyes. ] Breakfast?
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Avatar
What he wasn't quite expecting was to be the one assigned to teach Avatar Shouto. And so he does as he's asked, spending a week with him, correcting his form, making sure his movements flow. But... there's still a certain something off about it. It's been two weeks now, and while he's not quite sure if Shouto regards him as a friend or simply a teacher, the same feeling of off remains.
Shouto told him his life's story and Izuku had to sit and think on it a while. It's a terrible thing, wanting to raise a child into a weapon. When he looks over at Shouto he sees a person more than the Avatar, more than a weapon, Shouto is a person. And that's what Izuku tells him, that he's the Avatar and a person and a hero. He delights in Shouto's huffed out laugh, takes him all around the city to help out the people in little ways. And at the end of the day, he's declared he's staying by Shouto's side and nothing could get rid of him.
It's their first day of traveling together, and Izuku wakes up first. He gets up and just watches Shouto completely at ease asleep and wishes Shouto could be at ease with himself, that circumstances weren't what they were.
When Shouto starts to wake up Izuku has to tear his eyes away and start to pack up his bedding, flush high on his cheeks. He really hopes Shouto didn't catch him staring.]
birthday
But then his father stepped in to teach him firebending, a man who twisted the power of the element into something wrong. It was... it's marked him, in more ways than one, the most obvious sign of it the scar that mars his face now.
His waterbending and firebending are both powerful, but there's too much force in both of them. Shouto knows it, too. Knows that he's sharper instead of more fluid when it comes to bending water, rather than manipulating it into jagged spikes of ice and formidable walls. There's control in everything that he does still, because he'd had control literally beaten into him, but.
He's needed Izuku, to remember what it's like to be gentle and as calm as he appears to be on the outside. It's helped more than he can ever describe, and he's honestly grateful (and relieved) that he's decided to remain by his side as he learns his place in the world, and what his role as Avatar really means. From little gestures of help, to the big ones, Izuku has really helped to temper him and guide him in the right direction.
Which is, maybe, why it's so easy to remain at peace while he's asleep. Even if he's terribly groggy when waking up still - hilariously, even when he moves to sit upright, bedhead stark and eyes still closed. Izuku got off lucky, this morning. ] Mm.
no subject
The other is a little selfish. He feels his heart thrum whenever he's close enough to Shouto. If Shouto left... when would he ever get to see him again? Besides, Shouto needs help tempering his waterbending, keeping it calm and steady. There's no reason Shouto's attacks need to be that jagged, not when they're only practicing together. The fluid movements are the basis of the whole style and he knows Shouto has troubles with that much.
For now though, he spares another glance at Shouto. Chuckles over his ridiculous bedhead and has to fight the urge to stroke through it. At least he's not awake enough to catch Izuku's staring.
He wonders if he can take advantage of that. Sneak in a little more admiration time in the mornings if he wakes up first.]
Good morning, Shouto. Are you hungry?
no subject
He doesn't know what to do what these feelings. Doesn't understand them. It isn't something he's ever felt before, even if he's known affection from his mother, from Fuyumi. (He hasn't seen Touya in years, and Natsuo only came into his life recently - no time for affection when you're still getting to know one another.)
But Shouto blinks open his eyes, bleary, sleep-heavy, and regards Izuku without really registering that he's been stared at. No, he feels something for his waterbending teacher, who has been trying to soothe the jagged motions that have bled over from firebending into his waterbending, turned flowing water into deadly ice from years and years. ]
G'morning. [ With the clearing of his throat to get rid of the thickness in his voice, he brings his hand up to rub his fist against his eyes. ] Breakfast?