{HIATUS/REWORKING}The Arrangement (A Reader x MHA Fanfic)

Chapter 4

"Patrols are probably one of the easiest parts of the job."  Mirko chuckled as you walked next to her, trying to keep up with her strides.
"That is, if everything goes well." She gave you a smirk that almost stopped you in your tracks.

You both patrolled with standard pathing, greeting pedestrians, pausing at alleys to give them a quick check, and then continuing on. You kept looking around, every which way as you followed lead, trying to catch anything that'd be out of the norm.

"You're gonna bring more attention to yourself if you keep looking around like that." Mirko sighed, holding her arms behind her head.
"Just keep your eyes forward. Your peripheral vision is gonna be a useful tool, and sensing issues around you is gonna come with time and practice. For now, just get used to being out and about." You nodded to her, acknowledging everything she said and making a mental note.

"Sorry. I'm still adjusting to... well, this." Your hands motion all around you. Mirko gave you a quick glance before looking forward again.

"You don't have to explain it, Yokumiru, or Mera, as you know, went over it with some of us." Somehow, her saying that made you feel worse.
"I can't promise it won't be overwhelming, but it's an honor to be your first real-world training experience." She beamed at you. Almost making you forget the embarrassment.

"Thank you all for having me." You smile softly, letting the sounds of the city engulf the two of you again.

Not much went on for the first patrol, Mirko stopped a kid from chasing after a ball into the street, and you helped an older lady cross the road. There was nothing spectacular to really recall. Mirko would ask about your quirk. You explained what you could, mostly the issues, and that you haven't really figured it out. You noticed the Hero Commision building grow closer, and soon, you both were in front of the doors. Mirko stretching with a yawn as she made her way in first.

"Well, that was boring, but I guess for a first day, we should be thankful for that." You nodded, still following her. She had passed the locker room without a second thought, beckoning for you to follow. She led you through a few halls, deeper into the building, soon stopping in front of a room with a small plaque that read;

Training Room

"Mirko, what are we?"

"You mentioned still not grasping your quirk. We're gonna want to work on that if you really plan on being a hero." She opened the door and ushered you inside. You waited as she walked to another employee who was there, and they spoke for a good bit before she made way back to you.
"Alright, nothing else is on the schedule for today, so we're gonna train you. Now our friend here." She motioned to the female employee on the other side of the room.
"She's gonna try and find the best way to help, but she needs info. State your quirk and what it does." It was as if Mirko's whole persona switched gears, from laid-back guidance to a powerhouse. Your thoughts scrambled as you tried to comprehend what was going on.

"Ah, uh. My quirk is Mirror. I can copy any quirk I see, with the exception of mutations."

"Copy any quirk?" The employee echoed, jotting down some notes on her clipboard.

"...well." It was embarrassing to talk about how unreliable you thought your quirk was, but if you wanted help, you had to tell her everything.
"From what the doctor had said, yes, but I've run into issues training at home..."

"Go on." She insisted, scribbling down quicker than your thoughts could collect.

"Oh, if I try to replicate something that isn't compatible," it feels like glass is breaking inside my body."

The employee stopped and looked at you, slight confusion crossing her face.

"What does 'not compatible' mean for a copy quirk?"

"Well, there are times I've tried to copy a quirk, and either nothing happened or it caused me pain instantly."

"Interesting." She was nodding, as she wrote, muttering so low you could barely decipher it from a sigh. "It honestly sounds like you haven't trained enough to really gauge out the scope of your quirk, to many missing variables, and this barely scratches the surface on how the 'copy' works." She sounded exasperated as she explained it, making you feel even more inept.

"Well, there's no sense dwelling on that now." Mirko chimed in. "She's here to train. We can start with basics. Why don't we try to copy my quirk?"

You looked at her like she was a Goddess, gracing you with a chance to figure things out. The other employee looked at the both of you before pinching the bridge of her nose, backing away as a silent agreement and giving space.

"Hopefully, you know of my quirk kid." Mirko laughed, already getting into a fight ready stance. You followed suit, trying to scan what you could.

"Probably not the hearing and survival instincts." she leaped towards you, watching her legs, you jump out of the way. Just barely avoiding a kick to your head. "But maybe the strength." You mutter, keeping your stance open and ready.

She lunged again, landing just in front of you before swinging her leg up to axe kick. Concentrating on your legs, you felt the sensation of your quirk, the muscles in your legs changing, growing. With a small flex, you could feel the difference and were ready. As she did before, you lunged, avoiding her kick and landing hard, the ground below vibrating just slightly. At first, she was shocked, eyes wide in surprise, but soon her expression changed, more animalistic than you'd ever seen on her.

She ran at you, sending out a barage of kicks and a few rare punches. You couldn't match her pace, avoiding only a few and taking the other hits with your own legs. Behind your guard, you thought you could see a crazed smile on her. You kicked out, landing a lucky strike on her chest. Winded for only a moment, you jumped again at the opening, swinging your leg around for a roundhouse. Almost feeling proud, but that ended as a sharp pain ran from your legs and up. You dropped to the ground with a scream, the pain splintering its way up.

Mirko and the other employee were at your side almost instantly, checking to see what had gone wrong. Watching as the added muscles in your legs shattered away.

Mirko looked at the pieces now on the floor, remnant left of your quirk. Picking up a piece, she inspected it before handing it off to the researcher. "Repli-cat is this glass? Are you okay?!" She was looking over everything to make sure nothing was broken.

"Maybe it's not compatible." You said through gritted teeth, Mirko wrapped your arm over her shoulders as she helped you back up.

"I'd need to see more, but... Repli-Cat." The other employee was back to jotting down info. "It may not be a compatibility thing. But maybe a dietary thing or specific requirements that allow your body to utilize this copy ability."

"....what?" You felt dumb but it was like she was speaking a different language.

"Some quirks require specific diets to provide fat cells, or just sugar to activate. You may be one of those who need a specific diet or need to use it a specific way."

You had never thought of it like that, and even the doctor never mentioned it. Was this finally the outside advantage of training?

"Although there's more I'd love to test, for now I think we'll stick to Mirko being a training partner for some consistency before we try anything else. As for your diet," she jotted down on a piece of paper and gave it to you. "Try to eat a heavier portion of these foods to ensure you have an adequate storage of amino acids that may help with the changing of your body."
You took the paper and glanced at it. Nothing was out of the ordinary or impossible, so you'd start that as soon as possible.

"What about the days I'm not here?" Mirko asked, helping you up on your own feet.
"I have missions to do, some even out-of the area, what then?"

"I have a hero in mind to reach out to. We'll get there when we get there. I know you're not one for teams, Mirko, but any and all help for this girls' training would be appreciated. We have an interesting quirk on our hands, and it'd be a waste to not see it fully come to fruition."

"Yea, yea, I get it." She rolled her eyes, foot tapping in annoyance. "But we'll call it a day for now. Come on, kid, let's get outta here."

"R-right!"  You began to follow, but before leaving, you turned around to thank the other employee for her time.

Heading to the locker room, you had a hope coursing through you, already wanting for the next chance to train.