Work Text:
It all happened in under an hour.
"As you can see by the sheer level of destruction behind me...", the news reporter explained, "Authorities were relieved to find that not a single casualty was discovered. All civilians caught in the Villain's path were taken to safety with only minor injuries, thanks to the Number 3 Hero, Mirko, and her Sidekick!"
"I-It all happened so fast!", an eyewitness reports, "One second, I was staring death in the face, a-and the next, it was just this blur of white and green bouncing all over the place!"
"Before I knew it, we were already evacuated!", a single mother added, "We didn't even have the time to thank that boy for getting us to safety!"
"He was cool and looked really strong, and- and- and cool!", her young daughter stammered.
"MIRKO IS THE COOLEST! WE LOVE HER! WE KNOW SHE'LL BE NUMBER 1 SOMEDAY!!", the Mirko fan club added their own unbiased thoughts on the matter.
"Once again, the city give its thanks to two of their most beloved protectors! Even as they dash off to continue keeping the city safe, never once asking for gratitude, the citizens will let everyone know their appreciation. From Channel 3 News; Oniru Apuri."
---
SLAM!
"Who kicked ass? I KICKED ASS!", Rumi triumphantly shouted as she kicked open the door into her office (it's fine; the door's lock was deliberately designed to open when kicked by her, after one too many broken doors). For the Number 3 Hero in Japan, one could be surprised to find how spartan her office really was; outside of her extensive personal gym, Mirko's agency was very bare bones, with only her office (which was more of a secondary mini-gym), her secretary's office (where poor Tsukino-san had to keep up with Mirko's work all by herself), and a broom closet (a broom closet).
"Y-You sure did...", trailing behind her with a lot less energy, as the adrenaline tended to leave his system much faster than his boss's, was Mirko's first and only Sidekick, Midoriya Izuku (AKA: Deku). As far as she was concerned, he was the only person she'd ever met who could actually keep up with her energy, as unassuming as he originally might've looked. She just happened to see beneath that stammering, shy, momma's-boy facade of his one day, and could see someone with the same "gotta keep moving" drive as she had! He was still a bit softer than she expected, but over time, she had come to appreciate that; as awesome as she was, she wasn't so prideful (anymore) as to refuse to admit (in the privacy of her office) that she lacked a bit in people skills. Sure, people cheered for her presence, but pretty much every gossip rag in the country was quick to point out how she was so hyper-focused on beating up the bad guys, she tended to maybe-kinda-sorta neglect the whole "getting people to safety" part of the job. But that's where wonder boy came into play!
"You did alright too, Bunny.", she chuckled, looking back at him with a grin. Deku's presence in her work was a boon from the heavens; if she was hyper-focused in bringing down the Villains, he was ultra-focused on rescuing people! And that allowed her to be ultra-focused on kicking more ass! They, like, completed each other, or something like that? "Gwaaah!! I am so PUMPED!", Rumi immediately made her way to the punching bag in the corner of her office, already striking at it, "I wish I could've gotten just one more fight! Just ONE more big-ass dude I could've pummeled into the dirt! That would've made the whole day perfect!"
Izuku, lacking in Rumi's vitality, just leaned against his desk with a quiet sigh to rest his weary limbs for now, "I-I don't think that would've been such a good idea... That last Villain was a nightmare, so any other fight we could've gotten into, we would've been at a disadvantage..."
"Being at a disadvantage is when Heroes fight at their best!", she swung a heavy foot against the bag, "Besides, I have no idea what you're talking about! I feel great! AWESOME, even! I could run laps around any Villain!"
"You say that now, but...", he continued a bit absentmindedly, "I'd say in about ten, twenty minutes, you'll start feeling like how I feel. I-It's actually impressive how your body runs like clockwork, you have tremendous stamina no doubt, b-but it's actually not that hard to figure out your limit, I wonder if that has something to do with your Quirk, although I don't know how a rabbit Quirk might even do something like that, I mean I've never had to handle rabbits before, but I don't think they're all that predictable, maybe it has something to do with your family, some kind of secondary inherited Quirk or..."
OK, she liked having a Sidekick and all, sure, but she really hated when he got all analytical like that (and the never-ending notes; where did he even stores all those notebooks anyway?). Not only did he have a tendency to start prattling on with endless muttering, he really had a knack for wording things in ways that got under her skin. "...predictable, huh!?", she growled, stomping a foot on the ground.
"H-Huh?", he looked up from his notes, clearly only now realizing what he'd said out loud, "W-Wait! N-No! That's not what I-"
"Zip it!", she marched over to where he rested, jabbing a finger straight to his chest, "You think ya got me all figured out, huh!? All of a sudden, you're just a certified Mirko expert, and ya know everything about me, is that right!?"
"Mirko-san, please, th-that's not-"
"I SAID, ZIP IT!", another forceful jab of her finger to shut him up. "Listen here, pipsqueak!" (he was taller than her, but zip it), "You may have a good eye when it comes to analyzing the low lives we fight, but the one thing you should know is: I'm built different!", she aimed a thumb at herself, "I ain't like anyone else, got it!? Ya can't pin me down in a few pages of your notebook! Usagiyama Rumi is one of a kind, and every time ya think you've seen my limits, I'll be more than ready to show ya how I ain't anywhere near my limit!"
"Y-Yes! Of course! Absolutely! You're completely, one hundred percent right!"
"Damn right I'm right!", she huffed with another stomp. "You're lucky I know you don't mean anything bad by it, or I'd have kicked you out the window by now!"
"Th-Thank you for not kicking me out the window..."
"What's that?"
"Th-Thank you for not kicking me out the window, Mirko-san!"
"What's that!?"
"TH-TH-THANK YOU FOR YOUR MERCY AND NOT KICKING ME OUT THE WINDOW LIKE I C-CLEARLY DESERVE, MIRKO-SAMA!"
"That's more like it!", she humphed and grinned, he was a fast learner at least! "Now, what've we learned today?"
"Th-That you have no limits..."
"That's right~! And?"
"That... you stomp your foot when you get-yeek!", Izuku jumped, quickly shifting his foot out of the way before Rumi could stomp on it and break at least a few of his toes.
She huffed, "Watch it, you cheeky punk!", then crossed her arms, "We learned that I ain't got no limits, and not weaknesses!"
"...huh? That wasn't part of what you-"
"I didn't need to say it! It should be obvious just by looking at me!"
Izuku raised an eyebrow, "B-But... everyone has a weakness..."
"Well, I don't."
"Yes you do."
Rumi's expression flattened, staring up at Izuku who quickly cowered before her glare.
"W-Wait, I-I'm just s-saying things without thinking, I-I'm sor-"
"You got thirty minutes."
"H-Huh?"
"You. Me. In the ring. Thirty minutes.", she turned, already starting to head out.
"W-Wait, Mirko-san! I-I'm exhausted! I-I can't-"
"If you know my weakness, then you shouldn't need to even fight me at all, right~?", she asked with a poisonous sweetness to her voice, before that annoyed/competitive look came back to her eyes. "Thirty minutes. Make 'em count.", and she slammed the door behind her.
---
Thirty minutes came and went, and Izuku stood grumbling in his corner of the ring. He hadn't even bothered to get out of his Hero costume, since he knew Rumi wouldn't either, even if they were both all tattered and sweaty from the busy-as-hell day they both had.
"M-Mirko-san, please, I-I'm sorry I-"
"Too late, pipsqueak!", she hopped from foot to foot in her corner during her shadowboxing, "I'm all revved up! See? I've already smashed your assumption I'd only last another twenty minutes, right? No limits, baby!"
"Y-You're absolutely correct in everything and I was wrong, s-so we don't actually have to fight, right?", he desperately tried one last time to escape his fate. "Please, I-I'm tired a-and a shower would be really heavenly right about-"
"DING-DING! THERE'S THE BELL! TOO LATE NOW; PUT 'EM UP!!", Rumi immediately dashed forward, Izuku letting out a yelp as One For All activated out of sheer instinct, letting him leap straight over Rumi.
He landed, but with a lot less finesse then usual, clearly stumbling from exhaustion. "W-Wait, how's that fair!? Sh-Shouldn't we have Tsukino-san here to officiate!?"
"She ain't here!", Rumi lunged at Izuku again, swinging a heavy foot at him, but it got blocked by Izuku's arms. "I gave her the afternoon off, remember?"
Izuku was pushed back by the kick, sliding a good three or four feet despite the block. "Ah-! That's-... Wait, so... we're the only ones- yeek!", he ducked under another kick, saving himself a less-than-pleasant fate.
"Yep! Ya got nobody to save ya now, Bunny~!", with a dangerous grin, Rumi leapt aside, then immediately jumped to the ropes, giving herself extra momentum before she threw herself towards Izuku with an outstretched leg.
Much to her frustration, he managed to dodge it yet again; he was really good at dodging things, and she kinda hated that. As soon as she landed, she quickly threw out a few punches to keep him on the defensive, occasionally swinging a leg to strike his hips or thigh, and slowly weaken those wobbly legs. Izuku was tired and hurt, but she knew better than to count him out because of that; like she said, a Hero is at their best when at a disadvantage, and the boy was the perfect example of that. She'd seen him push through injuries that would've put lesser Pros down for the count, and she could see exactly why; it was the same reason she could do the same, after all.
They both hated to lose.
Fists and feet flew, meeting with Izuku's body for what felt like an hour, even though realistically, it had only been a few minutes. She kept him on the defensive, but the fact he wasn't going down was both infuriating and impressive. Infuriessive. That should be his Hero name, not "Deku". She'd come to call him Bunny because, as much as she understands the intent behind it, and she can tell the name is important to him, it still doesn't sit right with her to call him that. She's one to speak her mind and say exactly what she feels at all times, so she can't call him something she knows he isn't, even if he gives the OK to do so. Was she overthinking things? Probably.
"Rrrah!", another powerful kick crashed into Izuku's forearms, "Are ya gonna fight back or what!?". No answer from him, the boy's defense proving to be almost insurmountable. He kept his face hidden behind his arms, but each time she thought she could feint him out of it, he'd lock up right away. Worse still, he was ducking and weaving more often, so any other hit from hers wasn't connecting as strongly as she'd like. "Is your plan to tire me out, huh!? Is that the best weakness ya found!? That ain't your style, Bunny! Show me what ya got! SHOW ME BEFORE I GET REAL MA-"
Rumi's voiced stopped cold in her throat, seeing the look in Izuku's eyes as they peeked from behind his arms. That daunting determination that impressed her all those months ago; that same look she saw every time they faced a Villain; the same look whenever he needed to save someone. It gave her chills every time she saw it. It was almost inhuman sometimes, like something overtook him and completely replaced that meek kid nobody ever spared two glances at. It kinda pissed her off; it pissed her off to think that, when she first saw that look, that she told herself it was the same look she had. The same hunger for victory above all else. But the more she saw it, that doubt crept into her brain, that his desire to win was leagues above her own.
She hated it. She hated it. She hated, hated, hated, hated, hated, hated, hated, hated, HATED, HATED, HATED, HATED, HATED IT!!
There was a burst of air, Izuku dashing straight out of her sight with a speed that few could keep up with. Even though she was part of that few, it wasn't much less of a shock whenever it happened. Her feet stomped the ground to ready herself, Rumi launching herself into a sprint as fast as she could. They hit the ropes at practically the exact same time, but she knew he was just a few milliseconds earlier, and that only got her more heated. They both launched from the ring ropes, crossing paths right at the center, Rumi swinging out her arm but Izuku ducking beneath.
They hit the ropes again, and again they both launched each other against one another. Yet again it was only Rumi who swung an arm, and once more Izuku narrowly dodged it. The cycle repeated, again and again, a criss-cross that lasted for a good few minutes, where the two Heroes crossed paths at least fifty times. Each time they built up speed, the ring shook beneath them, and then the entire gym. They were locked in an increasingly fast game of chicken, neither one willing to admit weakness and slow down, only building up more and more and more speed, damn everything around them!
Everything was a blur. She was running faster than she'd ever been ran before. And it was all for a dumb sparring session. She hated that he could push her this far. She hated that thought in her brain that wondered if he was just toying with her. She hated feeling like he could still push beyond her.
She raised her arms once more, but this time, she could see the blur that was Izuku raise his own. This was it. Both bodies lunged at each at incredible speeds, each of their steps thundering on the ring beneath them. Her entire body clenched in anticipation of the strike, but she wasn't about to defend herself, and neither was he. All or nothing. Only the toughest stood in the end.
Which one of them slipped was going to remain a mystery for the ages... but it didn't make that much of a difference, since they both did in the end anyway. All of that running around, and with how much sweat they already brought into the ring before they even started fighting, well... it wasn't much of a surprise that the ring was now at least partially a skating ring. They crashed into each other before they hit the ground, crumbled up in a mess of limbs, two bodies completely ravaged by fatigue. They desperately gasped for air, the strain on their bodies catching up to each of them immediately. It must've taken them at least two minutes before they could start crawling off of one another, and they still just ended up slumping into each other's shoulder as they sat on the canvas.
"Y-...You... y-you never... s-stop... a-amazing me..."
Rumi slowly raised her eyes, looking up at Izuku. "Th-...The hell 're-...", she couldn't even finish her question without needing to take another gasp for air.
"Even-...E-Even if... I know y-your weak spot... i-it's not much use wh-when... when I can't even get n-near it...", a very small smile crawled onto his lips, "I-I... gave it a-all I-I got... a-and I still couldn't beat you... I s-suppose, i-in that sense... y-you really don't have any weaknesses, Rumi..."
She remained quiet for a while, slowly looking up at that smile. She carefully shifted from her position, still not quite managing to sit up under her own strength, so she needed to remain leaning on Izuku. "...no... y-you... were right..."
"...?", Izuku blinked, carefully moving himself as well for Rumi's benefit, making sure she could rest comfortably against him.
"I got plenty... of weaknesses...", she let out a lengthy sigh. "You name 'em; anger issues; stubbornness; tunnel vision because of that stubbornness... my bum knee f-from that crab Villain last year still hurts some days...", she slowly raised her head again, looking up at Izuku as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "...but... my biggest weakness... I'm lookin' at it right now..."
Izuku blinked, but his smile grew a bit wider. he leaned forward, gently placing a kiss on Rumi's forehead. "That... makes two of us..."
"I hate it."
"I-I... kinda do too...", Izuku chuckled.
"You really piss me off."
"Y-You also leave me pretty frustrated a lot of times..."
"Why the hell are you so good."
"I could ask you the same thing..."
Izuku let his head rest on Rumi's, his arm moving around her to hold her closely, something she was more than happy to let him do. They sat there in silence for a few more seconds, theirs bodies really not in the mood to make any movements off of their spot.
"...so...", Rumi spoke up, curiosity overwhelming her. "What were you trying to reach at anyway?"
"Hm"?
"My weak spot?"
Izuku glanced down at Rumi, and he weighed his options. He could take the opportunity to tease her for a bit longer, or he could just be honest. As nice as the first option sounded, Izuku was much too tired to try and devote his strengths to try and dodge her questions. So he raised his arm, letting his hand brush up Rumi's arm, and over her shoulder. He place it on her head, shifting his just slightly to be able to kiss it. And then his fingers slithered onto those fluffy ears of her.
And Rumi learned that Izuku was perfectly able to play dirty if he really wanted to.