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In the training arena far off campus from U.A., two young teens find themselves sparing against each other. The more agile of the two– Aizawa –making a quick dodge, avoiding what would have been a swift kick to the face from the other– Hirawa.The two of them had been at this for what felt like hours, and yet, neither of their energy had let up. Hirawa making as many swift jabs and quick kicks as they could while Aizawa parried them, taking a few swings himself. One such blow hits pretty hard against Hirawa's arm, knocking them off their balance, to which Aizawa is surprised at. Hirawa is a skilled fighter, and doesn't tend to go down that easy. Maybe it's because of how long they've been fighting today.The raven-haired boy reaches out a hand to the brunette, offering to help them off the floor. They take his hand, pulling him down and toppling his body over their own. Now he was on the ground, and they were the one standing over him. "What's with that face?" They chuckle, almost out of breath. "You're never supposed to let your guard down, Shota. C'mon, let's go again."Aizawa, taking deep breaths, stands with Hirawa's help and rubs his neck and shoulders. They feel a little sore, having fought all day, and he's sure that being thrown to the ground didn't help any. "You don't want to just take a break," he asks, massaging his neck. The smaller of the two takes a swig from their water bottle. "What do you mean?""Exactly what I said," he says, plopping down on a nearby bench, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat from his face. "We've been at this all day, kind of getting tired of it." Hirawa takes a seat next to him, handing him a spare water bottle. "Dude, that's no attitude for a soon-to-be hero. Just a few more rounds with me!" They said, bumping into his arm, blinking their eyes in earnest."Nayaka–""Pleaseeeee!"He could feel a pit in his stomach. That same feeling he gets when Hizashi or Oboro has one of their 'Brilliant Ideas™'. It's not that he wasn't up for it. Aizawa probably could go ten more rounds, but it was getting dark, and frankly they weren't really supposed to be on school property right now anyway. He looked to their pleading eyes and a pang of... sympathy(? God, he hoped not) rang in his chest. He agreed. Reluctantly. And after a while, up they were, sparing again.But there was a change in the attacks. They were.. sloppier. Less coordinated. More aggressive. Odd, considering how well disciplined Hirawa was. A result of overworking themselves maybe?On what might be their seventh match, he could see they weren't getting any better. They still held proper form, but they swayed more, and they were damn near breathless. Not mention they were getting their ass handed to them much quicker than before. When their knees buckled and their fist became shaky, Aizawa knew it was time to stop, and implored them too as well. But Hirawa, uncharacteristically, stubbornly refused."No, for real, I can do it this time," they spoke, a determination in their voice. "That's what you've been saying the past half hour," Aizawa retorts. "You can't even stand properly. As a matter of fact, sit down."Hirawa, noticing their shaky and battered form, stood in place, trying to stop the nerves in their body. Bringing their trembling fingers up to their face, they nervously chewed at their nails. "I- I'll get over it. I can't get better if I don't practice.""You can't get better if you force your body, either. You need rest." It's unlike Aizawa to worry so much, but if it's his friend then..."Here," he said, "have something to drink. Hirawa's eyes flicked to the bottle in his hand, then back to their own fingers. Still shaking. They closed their eyes slowly and breathed a deep, shaky breath, balling their hand into a fist. "Shota, one more match," they said. "Please." Again.. uncharacteristic. Well, maybe not completely. Hirawa was the type to plead and whine, but not like this. Not as if it was desperation. He swallowed thickly, a lump in his throat."Naa-chan. What's wrong?"Aizawa learned very young to pick up on things like this, much to his dismay, but reading people's emotions was something he was pretty decent at. Though, he might have a little more to learn. Specifically about when to ask such questions because..Hirawa licked their dry lips, and their eyes began to wet. They didn't answer, for fear that if they did, the tears wouldn't stop. Instead, they took the bottle from Aizawa, hands still trembling and drank, not that it mattered. Their throat still felt dry.After a while of sitting in silence and toweling off, he attempted to ask again; "Are you okay?" They nodded, before lowering their head some more, then shrugging. "I dunno.. I don't- wanna go home tonight.""Why not?""You know.. reasons."They take a sip of water, resting their head in the one hand. "I'm.. afraid, I guess." This confuses Aizawa. What's their to be afraid of? "Well... why? You've got a pretty good family. Don't know what there's to be scared of over there." Hirawa let's out a dull laugh, half-hearted in it's nature. "No, it's not my parents. My parents are great," they hesitate before finishing their sentence. "It's me. I'm the problem."Aizawa looks to them for an explanation, to which they hesitantly continue. "Yesterday. I was drawing, y'know to practice getting better control of my quirk(*). And I.. I felt guilty. I don't... I didn't know what to do, so I left him at home. The drawing, I mean. And he's still there.""...You didn't erase.. him?""I couldn't."Another brief, uncomfortable silence."I'm terrified. I'm so scared of going home, having to hear him. Knowing what'll happen when I get rid of him. I," their voice cracks. "I really don't want to hear it. The screaming." Tears freely fall from Hirawa's eyes, them trying desperately not to make a sound, their body heaving with every breath of every sob. Aizawa knows fully well how Hirawa's quirk works. He could never imagine it'd be pleasant to destroy the things you create, to simply discard and throw them away, and Hirawa– Nayaka was an empathetic soul with a quirk that forced them to take away a life as easily as they created it. Being cursed with a quirk like that, he knew it was awful.Without thinking, he placed a hand on their back, rubbing gentle circles into their body in an attempt to calm them. "Why don't you.. spend the night somewhere else. I'm sure Hizashi and his family would take you in for a night. I mean, they'd have to talk to your parents and everything, but.. surely they'd get it."With glassy eyes, Hirawa looked up to meet Aizawa's view. "Would they really? I'm... We're not as close as you two are." Aizawa waved his hand with the flick of his wrist, "Don't worry about it, they're cool with just about anybody coming over. I do it all the time."They sniffed a few times, wiping the streaks of tears from their face and laughed. A real laugh. "Ugh, heh... Thank you. Shota.""You're welcome," he said, a slight smile forming on his lips. "Buuut, I still wanna get one more fight in. To complete today's training. Don't worry, I think I've really got it this time." They smiled warmly. It felt good to bathe in that warmth.