You Make Me Strong || DEKU X READER

30- It Begins

       After that whole 'dead' fiasco Izuku finally calmed down and we were welcomed inside after Gran Torino explained that he fell after dropping his pastry on the floor. I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at his explanation while Izuku just let out a heavy sigh.

        Gran Torino made his way over to his freezer while Izuku and I placed our bags down besides an ole green couch, watching our new mentor closely.
              "Damn..that was the last one too." He grumbles as he stares inside his freezer. He turns to face us and gives us a large grin, "So who are you guys again?"
              "I'm Izuku Midoriya and this is Y/n Hikaru from U.A high." Izuku explains to him as I stare at the man cluelessly. Didn't we already go through this?
          "So are you going to show me One For All and that sun burst or are you just going to stand there?" He asks suddenly causing Izuku and I to stiffen up. He went from being a clueless old man to all serious.
           "I watched both of you at the U.A sports festival. I can't stand how both of you use your powers, so I'll teach you." He informs us before he leaps up against the wall. My eyes widened at his sudden speed and strength as I stared at the old man above us.
          "We look forward to working with you." Izuku smirks up at the man. It was like the sudden boldness from Gran Torino encouraged Izuku's eagerness to learn from him. I would be lying if I said it didn't do the same to me either.

       Izuku and I changed into our hero costumes while Gran Torino stood in the middle of the room, waiting patiently. I look over at Izuku noticing some new features to his new costume. He did mention that he was getting his suit adjusted better to his quirk but I'm not sure how. Either way it looked good. His eyes landed on mine as he gave me a small smile making me realize I had been staring the entire time. My cheeks began to heat up and I tore my eyes away from his, trying to focus on anything else in the room. No, no, no, stop it's just a fucking hero suit. We don't need to get all flustered. Focus!!!
            "Do it then." He grinned. He was back in his innocent old man phase, confusing the hell out of me. I can't just attack an old man! It's not right!
             "Are you sure it's alright?" Izuku asks shakily. I'm guessing he had the same idea as me. Not only were we going against an old man but in an old building that seemed ready to collapse in any minute.
              "You're such a chatterbox! I'm loosing my patience." Gran Torino grumbles before leaping up into the air. He uses the walk behind Izuku to propel himself towards him and lands a kick straight into Izuku's back. Izuku stumbles forward but I'm able to catch him before he falls onto the ground.

       Izuku gives me a small nod as a thanks before our attention focuses back on Gran Torino.
           "Who knew the ninth holder of One for All would be such a wet blanket. Are you just going to stand there and let him make a fool out of himself Y/n?!? Some friend you are." He snickers towards us. Before we can even get out a response, he leaps into the air once more and begins using different surfaces in the building to propel himself towards us. Sometimes we were able to dodge but other times he was able to land a kick in here and there, disorienting us as we tried to pin point where he'd be next and what his quirk was.

          For an old man, he was fast. Too fast. I couldn't figure out where his next hit was coming from and no signs of an obvious quirk. Wait....he passed behind us twice.
          "Izuku behind!" I shout out to him causing him to turn around and reach out for Gran Torino but it was no use. Gran Torino grabbed Izuku's arm and was able to pin him down.
          "You're fast but your admiration for All Might and your sense of duty are like shackles and you," He looks up at me with a small grin, "You're a quick learner but when under pressure you don't use your quirk wisely causing you to injure yourself." He informs me. He climbs off Izuku and makes his way to the door as we both just stay in our places in shock. Izuku slowly stands up as we watch Gran Torino begin to leave. "I'll leave you two to do all the cleaning!" He informs us before leaving. 
              "What?!?"

      As I cleaned around the room, Izuku began noting down some ideas for One for All. He mumbled to himself as usual indicating he was deep in thought and there was no way of pulling him out anytime soon. As I cleaned I began to process Gran Torino's words in my head. I don't use my quirk wisely..... He wasn't wrong, once I panic I act to fast and I end up doing something stupid like at the festival. I won't be able to afford doing something that reckless in a real life villain situation.

       I toss the bag of trash near the door to take out later and let out a small sigh.
               "I think I figured it out." Izuku says causing me to turn around.
                "Oh yeah?" I smile and walk over to him. I look down at his notes from over his shoulder.
              "I've been thinking about One for All and the smash as a special move, but I need to think of One for All more evenly." He explains. I tilt my head slightly and look at him blankly.
             "Huh?"
             "I'm using my full strength right away which is why I kept injuring myself but if I just use a small percent then I'll be fine. And the stronger I get, the more I can use One for All. Understand now?" He explains. He looks up to me but doesn't say anything else. I didn't realize how close I was to him until he turned his head. I could feel his breath on my cheek and his eyes glued onto me. Heat began to spread through my face as I stood up, giving us a bit of space. No, no. Not now. We need to focus.
            "Ohhhh I get it. So say you start off at like 25% and then work your way up. Like uuuhhhhhh a phone battery!" I chuckle. He lets out a small laugh and closes his notebook.
            "Yeah something like that."

As soon as Gran Torino came back he ate and then went to bed. Didn't tell us or anything or even begin our training. Izuku was just as confused as I was but nevertheless we were determined on taking the information he gave us to heart and ready to learn. So Izuku and I went into the neighboring alleyway to practice while Fran Torino slept.

Izuku looked around the alleyway and then down at his hands while I leaned up against the wall to watch.
"So I should start off at 5%. At 5% I should be able to cross distance and move lik Gran Torino." He mumbles to himself.
"Just picture an egg in a microwave!" I suggest with a chuckle. He looks over at me in confusion before nodding. He bends his knees slightly as he begins to activate his quirk. Within a second he was up in the air but instead of landing his feet onto the wall, he face-plants and lands in the garbage bags beneath him causing me to lean forward and laugh.
"That was real smooth Deku." I laugh out while Izuku groans in embarrassment and pain, still laying in the trash. I go over to him and offer my hand which he gratefully accepts.
"Maybe don't imagine an egg in the microwave." I suggest causing him to roll his eyes and nudge my shoulder with a small punch.
"You're the one who suggested it."
"Yeah yeah I know. Come on, let's go again. This time reinforce your arms." I suggest. He nods and attempts to jump one more time which fails once again. There were small gasps from behind me causing me to turn and see a couple watching Izuku fall into the trash with a loud thud.
"This is going to be a long night." I grumble as I smile at the couple who had fear apparent all over their faces.