Work Text:
The U.A. gym was unusually quiet.
Most students preferred training outside while the weather was good.
Izuku, however...
Liked routines.
Monday.
Six o'clock.
Strength training.
Exactly as planned.
He finished his final set of squats.
Racked the bar.
Took a drink of water.
"...Mind if I work in?"
He looked up.
Itsuka Kendo stood nearby carrying a towel over one shoulder.
"Oh."
"Of course."
She smiled.
"Thanks."
For the next twenty minutes...
They trained mostly in silence.
Izuku focused on his programme.
Kendo focused on hers.
Occasionally...
One adjusted the weights for the other.
Nothing more.
Eventually...
Kendo lay down beneath the bench
press.
She loaded the bar.
Gripped it.
Lowered it.
Pressed.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The eighth repetition slowed dramatically.
Izuku looked over.
"...Need a spot?"
She glanced up.
"...Would you?"
He nodded.
"Of course."
He stepped behind the bench.
Hands hovering just beneath the bar.
Not touching it.
Ready if she needed him.
"Ninth."
She pushed.
The bar stalled halfway.
Izuku lightly steadied it.
"Nearly there."
She gritted her teeth.
"...Got it."
One final push.
The bar locked safely into place.
She sat up, breathing heavily.
"...Thanks."
"No problem."
She took a drink.
Then looked at him curiously.
"...You're a good spotter."
Izuku blinked.
"...Is there such a thing?"
"Oh, definitely."
She counted on her fingers.
"Some people grab the bar too early."
"Some don't pay attention."
"Some spend the whole set looking at their phones."
She smiled.
"You actually watched."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"...I figured that's the point."
She laughed.
"It is."
"You'd be surprised."
A few minutes later...
Their roles reversed.
Izuku moved to the bench.
Kendo stood behind him.
"You ready?"
"Mhm."
He began his set.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
The sixth slowed.
Kendo leaned forward slightly.
"You've got this."
Seven.
"...Nice."
Eight.
"...One more."
Izuku pushed with everything he had.
The final repetition locked into place.
He sat up, breathing hard.
"...Thanks."
She smiled.
"See?"
"What?"
"Everyone lifts a little better with someone behind them."
Neither of them realised it.
But from that evening onward...
Monday...
Six o'clock…
Quietly became something they both started looking forward to.
Not because of the workout.
Because they knew the other person would be there.
And somehow...
That made showing up feel just a little easier.
The following Monday...
Izuku arrived at the gym at exactly six o'clock.
As usual.
He pushed open the door.
"...You're late."
He blinked.
Kendo was already stretching.
She checked the clock dramatically.
"...Thirty-two seconds."
Izuku looked at the wall clock.
."...Really?"
"No."
She laughed.
"But I wanted to see your face."
He let out an amused sigh.
"...That wasn't very nice."
"It was a little funny."
"...It was."
Without discussing it...
They fell into the same routine as last week.
Warm-up.
Weights.
Short break.
Repeat.
It was... comfortable.
Neither of them felt the need to fill every silence.
Halfway through the session...
Kendo noticed Izuku frowning at the squat rack.
"...Everything okay?"
He nodded slowly.
"I'm just..."
"...thinking."
She smiled.
"I gathered."
"What about?"
"I think..."
He looked at the barbell.
"...my stance is slightly uneven."
She watched him perform one repetition.
Then another.
"...You're right."
He looked surprised.
"I am?"
"Mhm."
"Your right foot lands a little further back."
He stared.
"...I didn't even realize that."
"You noticed something felt wrong."
"I noticed what it was."
She shrugged.
"Team effort."
He adjusted his stance.
Tried again.
The movement felt smoother immediately.
"...That's much better."
She grinned.
"I know."
Later...
Kendo was working on shoulder presses.
The final repetition wobbled.
Not dangerously.
Just enough.
Izuku spoke before he even thought about it.
"...Your left elbow."
She paused.
"...What about it?"
"It drifts outward near the top."
She tried another repetition.
"...Huh."
"It does."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"...Sorry."
"I wasn't trying to correct you."
She laughed.
"Why are you apologizing?"
"...Habit."
"You helped."
"I did?"
"Mhm."
She smiled warmly.
"I would've kept reinforcing that if you hadn't said something."
After training...
They sat on a bench near the lockers drinking water.
Both pleasantly exhausted.
Kendo looked over.
"...Can I ask something?"
"Sure."
"Why do you train alone?"
Izuku thought about it.
"I always have."
"I like improving."
"I don't really think about who else is around."
She nodded slowly.
"...You know..."
"I think you've accidentally been training with someone now."
He smiled.
"...I think I have."
The weeks passed.
Monday after Monday.
Six o'clock.
Without fail.
Sometimes they trained harder.
Sometimes they talked more.
Sometimes they barely spoke at all.
Yet...
Each session somehow made the next one feel easier.
One evening...
Izuku arrived carrying two sports drinks.
Kendo looked up.
"...One of those for me?"
He nodded.
"I remembered you said this flavour was your favourite."
She blinked.
"...You remembered?"
He smiled.
"...Of course."
She accepted the bottle.
"...Thanks."
She took a sip.
Then looked at him thoughtfully.
"...You know..."
"Hm?"
"This stopped being about the gym a
while ago."
Izuku tilted his head.
"...It did?"
She looked around the weight room.
Then back at him.
"...The gym's just where we happen to meet."
He looked at the familiar equipment.
The squat rack.
The bench.
The dumbbells.
Then at Kendo.
A small smile spread across his face.
"...Yeah."
"I think you're right."
Neither of them had noticed exactly when it had happened.
But somewhere between corrected footwork...
Shared encouragement...
And remembered favourite drinks...
They'd quietly become the strongest part of each other's weekly routine.
By the middle of the semester...
Monday at six o'clock had become unofficially reserved.
Nobody had planned it.
Nobody had announced it.
It simply… became theirs.
If someone else happened to be using the bench they wanted… they waited.
If the squat rack was occupied… they started somewhere else.
There was never any frustration.
Because they both knew...
They weren't really there for the
equipment anymore.
One Monday...
Kirishima wandered into the gym carrying a duffel bag.
He looked around.
"...Hey, Midoriya!"
Izuku waved.
"Hi."
Kirishima grinned.
"You free to spot me for a few sets?"
Before Izuku could answer...
Kendo spoke up.
"Sorry."
"We're in the middle of a programme."
Kirishima blinked.
"...We?"
He looked between them.
Then slowly smiled.
"...Oh."
"I get it."
Neither of them understood why he was suddenly smirking.
As Kirishima walked away...
He passed Tetsutetsu coming in.
"...They're doing it again."
Tetsutetsu frowned.
"...Doing what?"
Kirishima laughed.
"...They still don't know."
Later that evening...
Kendo was attempting a new personal
best on the deadlift.
She tightened her lifting straps.
Took one deep breath.
Then another.
Izuku stood nearby.
Not saying anything.
Just watching.
Waiting.
Ready if she needed help.
She pulled.
The bar left the floor.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Halfway up...
It stopped moving.
She gritted her teeth.
"...Come on..."
Izuku didn't touch the bar.
Didn't rush forward.
He simply smiled.
"...One more push."
She looked at him.
Saw complete confidence on his face.
Not pressure.
Not expectation.
Confidence.
She took one final breath.
Pulled again.
The bar locked into place.
A new personal best.
She lowered it carefully.
Then immediately burst into laughter.
"...I actually did it!"
Izuku laughed with her.
"I knew you would."
She sat down on the floor, still catching
her breath.
"...Can I ask something?"
"Always."
"...Why didn't you help?"
He looked surprised.
"You didn't need me to."
"...You were struggling."
"Mhm."
"But..."
He smiled.
"I've watched you train every Monday."
"I know how strong you are."
"I knew you had one more rep."
She stared at him.
"...You trusted me."
He nodded.
"Of course."
Those words stayed with her for the rest of the week.
The following Monday...
It was Izuku's turn.
He was trying to improve his pull-ups.
The final repetition...
Just wouldn't happen.
He hung there for a moment.
Arms shaking.
Ready to let go.
Kendo folded her arms.
"...One more."
He laughed weakly.
"I can't."
She smiled.
"Funny."
"...Why?"
"That's exactly what you said to me last week."
He looked up at the bar.
Then back at her.
She wasn't challenging him.
She wasn't demanding more.
She simply believed he could do it.
The same way he'd believed in her.
Izuku took one more breath.
Pulled.
Slowly...
Painfully...
His chin cleared the bar.
He dropped back to the floor with a laugh.
"...Okay."
"You win."
Kendo grinned.
"I know."
As they packed up for the evening...
Kendo glanced toward him.
"...Do you know what I like most about training with you?"
He shook his head.
"...You never make me feel like I have to prove how strong I am."
She slung her gym bag over one shoulder.
"You just..."
She smiled.
"...remind me that I already am."
Izuku stood quietly for a moment.
Then smiled back.
"...I was just about to say the same thing."
For the first time...
Neither of them thought about next week's workout.
They were already looking forward to simply...
Seeing each other again.
The following Monday...
It rained.
Not heavily.
Just enough that most of the outdoor training sessions had been cancelled.
The gym was far busier than usual.
Every rack was occupied.
Every bench had a queue.
Kendo looked around.
"...Well."
Izuku smiled.
"...Looks like we're improvising."
She laughed.
"I can work with that."
Instead of following their usual programme...
They moved from station to station.
Resistance bands.
Medicine balls.
Bodyweight exercises.
Whatever happened to be free.
It should have been frustrating.
Instead...
It was surprisingly fun.
Halfway through the session...
Kendo noticed Izuku rubbing his right shoulder.
Only for a second.
Then he carried on.
"...Midoriya."
He looked over.
"Hm?"
"...Does that hurt?"
He instinctively lowered his arm.
"...Not really."
She folded her arms.
"...That wasn't the correct answer."
He sighed.
"...A little."
"When did it start?"
"...After patrol yesterday."
"And you were just..."
"...going to train anyway?"
He blinked.
"...Well..."
"...Yeah."
Kendo walked over.
Without another word...
She took the dumbbell out of his hand.
"...You're changing exercises."
"I am?"
"You are."
"But-"
"No."
She pointed toward the stretching mats.
"Mobility work."
He opened his mouth.
She raised an eyebrow.
"...Don't make me use my big hands."
He immediately laughed.
"...Okay."
"Good decision."
For the next fifteen minutes...
Kendo guided him through gentle shoulder stretches.
Checking his movement.
Watching for discomfort.
"Any pain there?"
"...No."
"There?"
"...A little."
"Then don't push it."
He nodded.
"...Got it."
Eventually...
He looked at her with a small smile.
"...You're really good at this."
She shrugged.
"I've had teammates ignore injuries
before."
"It never ends well."
She looked him squarely in the eye.
"I'm not watching you become one of them."
Later...
As they packed away the equipment...
Izuku quietly said,
"...Can I tell you something?"
"Always."
"I've been thinking..."
"...You're always looking after
everyone."
She laughed.
"I try."
"You make sure people don't overtrain."
"You encourage them."
"You help first-years."
"You check on Class 1-B."
She smiled.
"...I hadn't really thought about it."
"I have."
He looked at her warmly.
"...Who's looking after you?"
For the first time all evening...
Itsuka Kendo didn't have an answer.
She stood there for a moment.
Thinking.
Then she laughed softly.
"...You know..."
"...I think you are."
He blinked.
"...Me?"
"Mhm."
"You remember my favourite sports
drink."
"You know when I'm pushing too hard."
"You notice when I need encouragement."
She smiled.
"And..."
"...you've never once made me feel like I have to carry everything by myself."
The gym suddenly felt very quiet.
Not because the equipment had stopped clanging.
Or because people had left.
Just because...
For a brief moment...
It felt like the rest of the room had faded into the background.
As they walked toward the exit...
The rain had almost stopped.
The evening air smelled fresh.
Kendo looked up at the clearing sky.
"...Funny."
"What is?"
"I always thought having a gym partner meant having someone to help you lift heavier."
She glanced sideways at Izuku.
"I didn't realize..."
"...it also meant having someone who'd remind you when it's okay to put the weight down."
Izuku smiled.
"...I think that's the most important part."
She smiled back.
"So do I."
Together...
They stepped out into the cool evening.
Neither of them carrying quite as much as when they'd walked in.
Because somewhere between spotting each other's lifts...
And quietly sharing each other's burdens...
They'd discovered that the strongest partnerships weren't built on strength alone.
They were built on balance.
Monday.
5:58 p.m.
Izuku reached the gym as he always
did.
Gym bag over one shoulder.
Water bottle in hand.
Routine.
Comfortably familiar.
He reached for the door.
It didn't move.
"...Huh?"
A handwritten sign had been taped to the glass.
Closed for maintenance.
Reopening Tuesday.
He blinked.
"...Well."
"So much for Monday."
"...Looks like we're out of luck."
He turned.
Kendo walked up the steps carrying her own gym bag.
She looked at the sign.
Then sighed dramatically.
"...Our timing's terrible."
"I know."
For a few moments...
They simply stood there.
Neither quite sure what to do.
After all...
For months...
Monday evenings had meant exactly one thing.
Izuku adjusted the strap of his bag.
"...I guess..."
"...I'll see you next week."
He had barely turned to leave when-
"...Or."
He looked back.
Kendo pointed toward the park across the road.
"...We could just go for a walk."
He smiled.
"...I'd like that."
The park felt strangely peaceful.
The rain from the previous evening had left everything smelling fresh.
The paths were quiet.
A few people walked their dogs.
Children laughed somewhere in the distance.
For the first ten minutes...
They talked about training.
Old habits.
Then...
Without either of them noticing...
The conversation drifted elsewhere.
Favourite films.
Family.
Childhood stories.
Plans after graduation.
Dream hero agencies.
Things they'd never found time to talk about between sets.
Eventually...
Izuku laughed.
"...This feels strange."
Kendo glanced over.
"...How?"
"We're together."
"But..."
He looked down at his trainers.
"...We're not training."
She smiled.
"...Maybe that's because we stopped being just gym partners a while ago."
He looked at her.
"...Then what are we?"
She pretended to think very seriously.
"Hmm..."
"Friends."
A beat.
"...Very good friends."
He smiled expectantly.
She noticed immediately.
"...What?"
"I thought there might be more."
"There might be."
"...Might?"
She laughed.
"...You're surprisingly brave when I'm the one doing all the talking."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"...Fair."
She slowed to a stop beneath a line of trees.
Then looked him straight in the eye.
"...A date."
Silence.
Just for a heartbeat.
Then...
Izuku smiled.
Not surprised.
Just...
Happy.
"...I was hoping you'd say that."
Further along the path...
They came across a small outdoor exercise area.
Pull-up bars.
Parallel bars.
A balance beam.
Kendo folded her arms.
"...Best two out of three?"
Izuku laughed.
"...Seriously?"
"What?"
"The gym's closed."
"So?"
She pointed proudly toward the bars.
"...Nature provided."
He shook his head, smiling.
"...You're impossible."
"I know."
She grinned.
"...You seem strangely okay with that."
"...I am."
The sun was beginning to set by the time they headed back toward campus.
Their conversation had slowed.
Not because they had nothing left to say.
Because comfortable silence had become just as easy.
As they reached the crossing outside U.A....
Kendo reached out instinctively.
She took his hand.
Only after a few steps did she realize she'd done it.
She glanced sideways.
"...You know..."
"...I don't actually remember deciding to do that."
Izuku gently squeezed her hand.
"...Me neither."
Neither of them let go.
When they reached the dorm entrance...
Kendo looked back toward the
darkened gym building in the distance.
Then smiled.
"...Guess we never really needed the gym after all."
Izuku followed her gaze.
Then looked back at her.
"...No."
He smiled warmly.
"...Just the partner."
She laughed softly.
"...Good answer."
Together...
They walked inside.
The gym would reopen the following morning.
The weights would still be there.
The benches.
The squat racks.
The pull-up bars.
Everything exactly as they'd left it.
But the strongest thing either of them had built...
Had never been inside the gym at all.
It had been built one Monday evening at a time.