Chapter Text
Sorahiko was four when he met Shimura Nana. He had been sitting in his usual spot under a tree in the school playground, reading his superhero comics to escape the world, only to be violently wrenched back to reality by a loud voice that sent him leaping out of his skin.
"Hi!"
Sorahiko glanced up with a scowl only to find a pretty, dark haired girl his age staring down at him with gleaming grey eyes that reminded him vaguely of a brewing storm. The girl was covered in dirt, there was a bandaid on her jaw and leaves in her short, messy hair. All and all she looked exactly like the kind of loud person Sorahiko would avoid at all cost in school.
Yet there was something about her bright eyes and brilliant smile that made him stare. He remembered thinking she had the brightest smile he had ever seen.
"Who are you?" Sorahiko asked warily.
"I'm Shimura Nana," the girl said with that ridiculously cheerful smile of hers. "You're Torino-kun aren't you? You're from the class beside mine."
Sorahiko nodded stiffly.
"Want to play with us?" She asked, jabbing her thumb at her group of friends waiting for her a few lengths away. "We want to play kicking can," she explained, "Do you know how to play?"
Sorahiko gripped his book, "Yeah, but I don't-" he started but Shimura had already grabbed him by the hand.
"Great!" She said, dragging him to his feet, "Come on!"
Despite his protest Shimura introduced him to her friends. Sorahiko was never good with people, whether in school or at home, he much rather be left alone. He lingered awkwardly at the edge of the group watching quietly as the teams were split.
He and Shimura ended up on different teams.
Sorahiko had always been fast. Even before his quirk had manifested weeks after his third birthday he had been fast. He had been the first in his class to get his quirk, the first to grasp a new concept, and he was always the fastest at running games.
Yet somehow Shimura Nana was giving him a run for his money.
She'd come barrelling at him out of nowhere, stealing the rusted can right from under his nose and kicking it the entire length their makeshift field. He'd glare and she would laugh, sticking out her tongue and flashing him a brilliant grin.
Sorahiko would scoff and run after the others, but Shimura's smile was contagious. If he were completely honest, he hadn't had this much fun in ages.
But ten minutes into the game, something strange happened.
The can was in the air and Shimura was lunging after it. She leapt and promptly soared right pass the tin can.
It was as if gravity decided not to affect her anymore. Shimura didn't come back down and everyone froze where they stood. Sorahiko halted dead in his tracks, eyes widening as Shimura floated higher and higher into the air.
She was just like him.
"Shimura! How are you doing that?" One of the boys shouted.
"I don't know!" Shimura yelled, limbs flailing as she tired to swim downwards only to end up floating upside down, "I can't get down!" Her grey eyes were wide with terror, "Help!"
Someone was shouting for the teachers and Sorahiko found himself yanking off his socks before he even realized he had kicked off his shoes.
"Torino-kun, what are you doing?" A blond girl asked in confusion but Sorahiko ignored her.
He never liked using his quirk. In a world where quirk wielders were a minority, it was weird and some of his quirkless classmates would avoid him for it. He knew some adults thought quirks were bad, and more than once, Sorahiko would find himself wishing that he had been born normal.
But that day, for the first time in his short life, he was glad to be born with his quirk.
Sorahiko took a deep breath. Before he could change his mind, he dug his heels into the ground and jetted into the air. He shot straight towards Shimura, leaving a blast of air, a ring of dust and a crowd of screaming kids in his wake.
"Torino-kun!" Shimura's stared at him in shock when he reached her, "You can fly too?" She asked in bewilderment as he grabbed her hand. Rather than answer her, he spent his breath trying to keep himself in the air.
He had neither been this high nor stayed this long in the air before. The uneven jets of air shooting from his soles stuttered involuntary and Sorahiko felt his heart plunge. If it weren't for Shimura's iron grip and floating quirk they would have both dropped like a pair of toddler shaped stones.
"Hey!" Shimura yanked him back up and Sorahiko managed to glup down another lungful of air.
It took all his concentration but with a little help from Shimura he managed to lower them both to the ground.
The second his feet touched the dirt, Sorahiko doubled over, breathing hard. He let go of Shimura hesitantly and was relieved when she didn't start floating off into space again.
The others had ran off to get help, leaving them alone in the deserted playground.
"I can't fly," Sorahiko mumbled once he had caught his breath enough to speak, "I can shoot the air I breath in out my feet."
"That is flying, dummy!"
Sorahiko glanced at her with a slight frown and found Shimura right in his face, eyes shinning, "That was so cool!" She exclaimed, her initial fear completely forgotten, "You were so fast, Torino-kun! Like a bullet, wait no, a jet!"
Sorahiko felt heat rushing to his face at the praise. He looked away quickly, "It's weird," he muttered under his breath.
"I don't think it's weird," Shimura said, practically bouncing with excitement, so much so, Sorahiko was genuinely worried that she might start floating again, "You have to teach me!"
"I don't..." Sorahiko's protest promptly died in his throat in the face of her enthusiasm. He couldn't fight the small grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Okay."