Chapter Text
“Took you long enough.” a monotone voice called out.
Madge rolled her eyes as she walked towards Shinsou. “I’m right on time, thanks. You’re just early”
“Early bird gets the worm.”
“But the second mouse gets the cheese.”
Shinsou looked at Madge, slightly impressed by her retaliation. They locked eyes, nodded once, and walked through the doors. After their little spat during the setup period for the school festival, Madge and Shinsou agreed to meet up at Queenie’s Quirk-y Gym. They were both very competitive, especially with one another.
“Look Shinsou,” Madge spoke, “I don’t want to be a downer here, but you should be warned,”
Shinsou waited with a quirked eyebrow for her to continue. Madge grinned, “I’ve trained here for years, and the obstacle course is always changing. So good luck in the new territory.”
She took off running. With a huff of annoyance, Shinsou ran after her and entered into a room marked OB-7. Madge was at a starting line, looking at the blank floor ahead. She turned to Shinsou and said, “Hey, Gen-Ed… ready to get beat?” Shinsou just gave her his signature smirk. Neither was willing to admit it, but they found each other’s antics to be annoying but predictable.
There was a red button on the wall opposite of them that flashed green. Suddenly, different obstacles changed and different ‘areas’ were established. There were floating platforms, pits, really anything that could be considered dangerous. Shinsou looked at Madge in confusion, saying “I thought your quirk wasn’t physical?”
“It isn’t… I just feel the need to push myself.”
“But…”
“Are you whimping out Shinsou? I should call Koda up to get his chicken back”
“Now you little-”
Madge took off running before he could finish his statement, laughing. She had been waiting to use that insult for a while. She felt some burning in her arms and legs from the sports festival, but she didn't want it to hinder her while competing against Shinosu. She pushed herself up and onto a floating platform. She could almost imagine Shinsou behind her, cursing and sending glares at whatever he looked at. She was ready to finally prove to him that she had improved and deserved to be in the hero course. As she continued towards the button on the opposite wall, she remembered an earlier exchange the two had.
“Who do you think you are Shinsou?”
“Someone who’s concerned with how three of his classmates managed to get into a hero course with practically useless quirks!!”
“What. The. Hell. Did you. Just. Say?” Madge demanded, her tone quiet and deadly. “No, I don’t want to hear it. We got put in the hero course because we put in the effort. What are you doing? You, Shinsou, are sitting on your butt, complaining about how unfair society is towards you and your quirk. All because we faced giant robots in the entrance exam. Well, news flash! I took the same exam! And instead of moping, I took action to become the best I can be. I don’t just rely on my quirk, I work for everything. You were told your quirk was villainous all your years, yeah? Well, so was I. So was Miles. And Lauren was told that she could never become someone of value, that the best she could do was make it to a modeling studio. And look where we are now. So you have no right to tell me that we are useless when we have worked so far to get here!”
She inwardly grimaced as she remembered the spat. They hadn’t talked much after that, except for a brief, “you did well” to each other during the sports festival. Madge and Shinsou didn’t share any classes together, so their interactions were brief, but Shinsou had stopped glaring at her and started just looking at her.
Soon there was gravel under her palms, and Madge let out a grunt. “Dammit” she cursed while she got back up, continuing to run. While she was lost in her thoughts, she tripped over a broken sidewalk piece on the current platform. She was only a platform away from the button and she didn't see Shinsou to her right or left. Or in front of her, so he was behind. She smiled and started to run faster to prepare to leap.
As soon as she took the leap, the scarf flew past her head to the bar above. Shinsou flew by, holding on to the scarf for dear life. Time seemed to slow down as he swung by, and she looked at him gripping onto the scarf. His face was contorted into a concentrated look, but his eyebrows were able to give away the fear that he had swinging wildly through the air. She was pumping her limbs, trying to gain speed as she saw his arm reach out for the button. He swung closer, and closer, and was just barely about to touch it when he was jerked back. The platform he attached to floated backward, dragging him along. Madge barely had a chance to stop running when they collided
It was a weird feeling, falling. Madge felt light and dizzy. Her gut plummeted with her as she became slightly aware of the feeling before her hand reached out before her and she hit the ground. “Madge, hey? Wake up. C’mon, I didn't want to kill you.” Shinsou said as he jostled Madge’s shoulder. She was sprawled out on the ground with her arm bent at an odd angle, and he felt slightly panic-y. He meant to touch the button, but he got tangled up as soon as he lost momentum.
Madge groaned, and he breathed a sigh of relief. She was making noises, so she wasn't dead. On the other hand, it didn't seem like a conscious stream of words, so he probably needed to get her out. “Madge,” he tried to talk to her again, “I’m going to help you up. Do you understand?” Madge groaned and nodded, signaling that she was at least processing his words. Together, they struggled to hobble out the door. Madge was limping, and her arm was dangling by her side while her other was draped around his shoulder. He waved awkwardly to the staff at Queenies Gym as they walked out.
“So…” Madge started to speak, “howre we home.” Shinsou looked at her, not quite understanding, and said, “I’m calling someone to get us. Sorry if he shouts.”