Text.

[hot_handed]

I'll get straight to the point. Since a lot of you are NPCs with barely any fighting skills and I'm at the point where I might blow something up because nothing fucking happens on my patrols, I'm gonna be incredibly generous and offer hand-to-hand lessons at the Arena in the afternoons. If you really care about getting better at it, the more days ya show up, the stronger you'll get.

If you already know how to fight and wanna spar so you don't get rusty, I'll be there for that too.

Comments

[hot_handed]

[Well. Nico might not know what that means, but Bakugou does, and his scowl deepens in alarm.]

And you didn't tell me that?! Is your brain as incorporeal as your hand, I could've killed you!

[Literally! There's being strong, and then there's doing self-destructive shit. He can't help but worry and that also pisses him off. When he hears it's reversible, he seems to calm down enough to step back, though he folds his arms and glares at the ground before finally motioning at Nico with his hand to follow him.]

So you'll get solid again? Let's go. Will food help?

[wakemelater]

[He scowls right back.]

I said it's not a big deal. You were nowhere close to killing me. As if you could. It's only got to my hand.

[And not his brain, thank you very much. Though that may be debatable, depending on who you ask. Self-destructive is how Nico operates, after all. With a sigh, he moves to follow, stride a bit unsteady.]

Yeah. I'll stabilize after I get some rest. Food usually helps.

[hot_handed]

And I said you're a moron.

[Bakugou replies flippantly, glaring at him.]

I could kill you. I just don't wanna get arrested again for damaging the arena.

[And he doesn't want to kill him. He wants them to both get stronger. But he's pissed at the perceived insult.

But for now, he heads out, keeping an eye on Nico in his peripheral vision.]

Good. I ain't carrying you.

[wakemelater]

[He grumbles a "shut up" as he puts one foot in front of the other.]

And I could kill you. Hooray. We're even. [Punctuated with a very unenthusiastic jazz hands.

He almost trips and a strangled sounds gets loose.] As if I'd let you!

[hot_handed]

[That actually gets Bakugou to laugh. It's harsh and mocking, but there are tears in his eyes as he glances at Nico.]

You can't kill me. I have the advantage of being able to go airborne.

[He's trying to calm down, but it's hard when he sees Nico trip almost in perfect timing, so he ends up snorting.]

What are you gonna do? Haunt me so I don't?

[wakemelater]

[The laughter gets his blood boiling. He's tempted to shadow-travel away, fading be damned, just to get away from it. Instead, he reaches out with the hand that isn't confused about its existence and grabs Bakugou's shoulder.]

You'd be dead right now, if I willed it.

[He withdraws his hand.]

What? No! Why would I haunt...? I'm not a ghost!

[hot_handed]

[Bakugou freezes, his laughter dying down. He turns to face Nico, his smile not reaching his eyes and voice low.]

Go ahead. Try. You can barely stand.

[And just like that, he rolls his eyes at Nico's reaction, turning away again as he walks.]

Okay, then you're a zombie.

[wakemelater]

[He scoffs at the taunt. And yeah, it would take a lot of energy - enough to put him under for sure - but it wouldn't be impossible. But:]

I don't want to kill you.

[He frowns, stands there a moment longer to be offended, before shuffling after.]

Not a zombie either. [Even if he kinda feels like one right now.] What about me seems dead to you?

[hot_handed]

That makes two of us.

[It's the closest Bakugou will get to outright saying he's worried and that he likes spending time around Nico. He even respects his guts to talk back. It's not his strength or power he doubts, it's how he uses it.]

I only know of one person who could phase through shit like you did, but with him it was intentional. It ain't exactly a sign of life. [He glances over his shoulder at him.] The dark circles don't help.

[wakemelater]

[He has no response for that. They're on the same page. A mutual understanding. He can respect that.]

Yeah well. I am the son of a death god. And it probably will kill me eventually, if something else doesn't get me first. [He's not exactly careful with his power.

As for the circles...he snorts.] I don't understand sleep schedules.

[hot_handed]

It will if you keep making stupid decisions. [He pauses and then blurts out.] Tell me more about your power.

[He looks at Nico incredulously.] How do you not understand sleep schedules? You go to bed at 8 and wake up at 5!

[wakemelater]

[Nico rolls his eyes, but nods. Bakugou is starting to remind him of Will, back home. Insults veiled in concern. Is that what this is?]

Um, sure. What do you want to know?

[Um...]

No I don't. I sleep when I'm tired and wake up when I'm done sleeping.

[hot_handed]

[That's what it is. He's really bad at expressing anything that isn't anger.]

I need to know how long you've been training your power, whether you've gotten stronger at it, and if you have what helped you improve. Does distance make a difference?

[Scoffing loudly, he shakes his head.]

That's why you're tired all the time!

[wakemelater]

[He frowns in thought.]

I don't know. Since it developed, I guess. Four or five years? Though I didn't have any formal training. I mostly just taught myself. The shadow travel had actually gotten worse, I think. It used to just make me tired, but I pushed myself too hard during the last war. Something broke.

[8 to 5!? Those are toddler hours!]

I am not always t- [yaaaawwwn] -tired!

[hot_handed]

Last war? How many wars you've been in? [Bakugou looks over his shoulder, but when he turns away his stare is distant.] Sometimes if something's broken you can fix it. If you don't break it more first. You're still pushing yourself too hard. You probably had to before, but there's a way to break past your limits without breaking yourself.

[At least he has hours! He shoots him an unimpressed glare.] Do I need to carry you?

[He's just being an asshole.]

[wakemelater]

Two. [There's a kind of hollowness in the single word, but he's not going to unpack that mess.] We were trying to figure it out. Back home. Why I can't stay conscious after shadow traveling. But the most we've managed is how to work around it.

[He huffs.] Absolutely not. [It's only acceptable to carry him when he's passed out cold - because he can't be humiliated when he's unconscious.] The talking is helping.

[He suddenly stops to look around.] Uh, where are we going anyway?

[hot_handed]

... [Bakugou goes silent. He's not going to push that subject.] Have ya tried training it in smaller increments and working your way up?

Tch. If you passed out while I was talking, I'd kick your ass. [He smirks at Nico, but his expression drops and he looks around.]

That fucking cafe with the cats. You can eat and nap there.

[wakemelater]

[He hums.] Kind of. Honestly, we were just playing it by ear and hoping for the best. The first guy who taught me didn't really give a shit what happened to me, so I never really figured out where my limits were.

[And with the wars and everything in-between, he never bothered to learn.]

Kick a man while he's down. That hardly seems fair. [He cocks a grin back.]

Ah. That's okay then. [The café is familiar. And he can and will fall asleep anywhere. He thinks they're not too far, either.]

[hot_handed]

He's an asshole. [And sounds similar to Endeavor, from what Katsuki has eavesdropped. Not that Bakugou can talk, but that just means he recognizes other assholes.] That's our first step. We need to figure out exactly what your limits are. If you don't train a muscle the right way, you risk injuring it and ending up even weaker. The same shit goes for quirks and powers.

Well, ya sound awake enough to whine about it. [He retorts back, though there's no animosity there as he smirks.]

You know the place? [In fact, he can see the building coming up now.]

[wakemelater]

[He murmurs his agreement. Minos was definitely an asshole.] We?

If we don't keep moving, I won't be. [It feels like his shoes are full of lead, and he buries another yawn in the crook of his elbow, but he's going to see himself to the café before he gives in.]

Yeah. They have good food, and I like the cats.

[hot_handed]

You don't think I'd let an idiot like you try to find out alone, do you? We can do it while training. It'll help me get stronger too.

Yeah, yeah.

[Bakugou shoves his hands in his pockets, slouching until he gets to the door and heads in, keeping it open for Nico.]

I'm not surprised at all.

[wakemelater]

[He's ready to protest. Not the training together - he's okay with that. But the whole idiot thing. But he also already admitted he doesn't know what he's doing, and Bakugou at least seems to have some ideas worth exploring. So he sighs.]

Fine.

[Oh thank the gods. He enters the café and heads right for a corner booth.]

Not surprised....that I like cats? In some beliefs, they're guardians to the underworld. What's not to like?

[hot_handed]

[Bakugou blinks, but luckily his surprised expression can't be seen and he shrugs. He's just glad Nico hadn't argued against it.]

When's a good day to start?

[Bakugou sits across from Nico, focusing more on looking for one of the cats rather than the menu.] I didn't say there wasn't anything to like. Just that I'm not surprised. Since you fought me today, I'll pay.

[wakemelater]

Whenever. Tomorrow. Next day. I don't have anything going on.

[Laying his head on his arm, Nico tugs a menu over. The words all blur into nonsense, so he just points at what looks like a sandwich.

He snorts.] Sure, 'cept you fought me too.

[hot_handed]

Me neither. I almost wish some villains would show up. Something.

[Like the shounen character he is, Bakugou orders 4-5 things off the menu, leaning back with his hands behind his arms and looking smug when he's done.]

Yeah, and I won, so I make the rules.