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“Snipe-sensei?” Izuku peeks his head through the door.
Snipe looks up from his paperwork and leans back in his chair. “Ah, Midoriya. Come in, come in,” he drawls in a thick, distinctly American accent.
Izuku slides in and quietly closes the door behind him. “Snipe-sensei, I…” he trails off.
Snipe leans forward. “Is everything alright, lil’ partner?”
“Yeah, it’s just…” Izuku shifts from foot to foot. “After what happened at the USJ...well, I realized that my quirk won’t always be enough.”
Snipe tilts his head sideways a bit, inspecting Izuku. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“Yes. Teach me how to use a gun, please!” Izuku requests. He bows low, hoping to convey how eager he is.
“Stand up, partner,” Snipe says. “I’ll teach ya, but only if you’re prepared to do the work, alright?”
“Hai, Snipe-sensei!” Izuku straightens and beams. “When can we get started?”
As it turns out, Snipe has a lot of free time on his hands- he only teaches two classes, after all, one of which is gym- and he’s available to spend his afternoons with Izuku.
Izuku talks Snipe’s ear off the entire walk to Yuuei’s shooting range, but he thankfully doesn’t seem to mind.
When they reach the range, though, Snipe pauses and holds up a hand. “Alright, now before we go on the range there’re a few rules we need to go over.”
“Hai, Snipe-sensei!”
“The main rule is that you never point your gun at anything you aren’t willing to shoot, even if it’s unloaded or the safety’s on, ya hear?” Snipe says sharply. “And keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot. Don’t want to blow someone’s head off accidentally,” he mutters.
Izuku nods quickly, and Snipe chuckles. “Ever the eager one, aren’t’cha? Well, you can drop the ‘sensei,’ youngin.”
“Really?” Izuku breathes.
Snipe laughs, and says, “‘Of course, youngin . You’re a good kid, and now that I’m gonna be training you personally I don’t think those honorifics are necessary.”
“Hai, Snipe!” Izuku nods rapidly.
Snipe chuckles as he pushes the door open. “Those are the main rules, so let’s get started now.”
That first meeting quickly morphs into a routine. Izuku comes to Snipe’s room everyday and each time Snipe teaches him something new. He takes to guns with surprising ease, and soon Snipe has Izuku shooting like a pro.
The first time Izuku hits a bullseye, he beams proudly at Snipe, who claps his back proudly, and it spurs Izuku to work even harder. Eventually he’s hitting bullseyes ninety-nine percent of the time, and Snipe is shouting praise with every round.
It’s on one such afternoon when Snipe is walking Izuku back to the school, that he says, “You know, kid, you’re doing really well. You might even be on my level one day,” he grins.
Izuku stops in his tracks. “Wait, really?”
Snipe nods and pauses for Izuku while he gathers himself. “Mhm. You’ve put in a lot of hard work, and you’re already firing with a high level of accuracy. You’re doing amazing, youngin!”
“Sensei!” Izuku exclaims, eyes watering. “I can’t believe it!”
“You’d better; it’s true,” Snipe says, his grin clear even through his mask.
Izuku smiles, then looks up at Snipe. “You know… when I was younger, I wanted to be a hero just like you.”
“Aw, shucks, really?” Snipe swipes his hat off and holds it to his heart.
“Mhm,” Izuku hums. “All Might was my idol then, but that was more of an unreachable goal. I liked to think that I could’ve been a hero like you.”
Snipe takes a step back, shocked, and murmurs, “You wanted to be like me when you had a quirk like that?”
Izuku freezes. For a moment there, I forgot that I have a quirk now. He makes a split second decision. “Actually... My quirk didn’t come in until the day of the entrance exam. Before that, I was... I was quirkless.”
“You were quirkless?” Snipe repeats softly.
Izuku nods. “Up until Yuuei, I was planning to become the first quirkless hero!” he pumps a fist in the air.
Snipe nods, then pauses. “Wait. You were going to become the first quirkless hero?”
“Yeah? Why, do you think quirkless people can’t be heroes?” Izuku asks defensively.
Snipe laughs. “Of course they can! I was askin’ because I’m quirkless. Did.. did you really not know that?”
“You’re quirkless?!” Izuku shouts.
Snipe chuckles, “I mean, I do keep it on the down-low, but I thought for sure you would’ve figured it out, what with that analysis habit of yours.” He gently raps his knuckles against Izuku’s forehead.
“I just… I never thought about it,”Izuku admits honestly. “It makes sense, but if I had thought about it before, if I had let myself hope and turned out wrong… I think it would have crushed me.” Izuku looks sideways at the ground, only for Snipe to gently pull his chin up.
“Don’t look so sad, youngin. This’s a good thing, ain’t it?” Snipe asks. Izuku nods shakily, and Snipe releases him. “Alright then. Chin up, now.”
“Hai, Snipe!” Izuku exclaims.
Snipe slings an arm over his shoulder and pulls him close. “Now then, why don’t you tell me all about that quirk of yours? I ain’t never heard of such a late manifestation.”
“Well actually, it’s a funny story,” Izuku chuckles nervously.
Snipe reaches a hand up to ruffle his hair. Izuku unconsciously leans into it. “I’m sure it is.”
Looks like Izuku isn’t going to get off easy. “The doctor said it was a stress manifestation..” Izuku hesitates, wondering if he can really trust Snipe, then he thrusts the thought aside and makes a split second decision. “In reality, it was much more than that. The morning of the entrance exam, All Might himself passed his quirk onto me. He called it One for All.”
“One for All…” Snipe repeats slowly. “That’s.. That’s All Might’s quirk?”
“Mhm,” Izuku nods, rocking back on his heels.
“Now, this isn’t a slight to you,” Snipe starts, ”but why did All Might pass his quirk onto you? How?”
“We met ten months prior when I ran at a villain to save Kacchan. As for the second question… it’s a tale of two brothers.”