Freeze Frame

Chapter 123

Third person pov

The energy that coursed through him was nearly electric, ripping through his veins in an exhilarating rush that left him feeling oddly winded. His eyes began to burn as though he'd looked at the sun without his sunglasses on, and the small box they were in slowly began to illuminate. Toshinori's wide, blue eyes stared into his, which had evidently become a pair of golden flashlights. Pretty fucking baller if you asked him. Chad inhaled deep, taking in a fair amount of the stale air around them. He hoped neither of them farted. That would suck ass.

This whole quirk thing was a whole lot different than he'd thought it would be. It didn't burst inside of him like he thought it would. It spread out in an even coat, almost hugging him in some weird, different kind of way. He sorta dug it. Was this what everyone felt when they activated their quirk? It felt like an extension of himself, even though he'd just now gotten it. Well, not just-just now, but like, earlier. 

"Bro." Chad shook his head a bit, his dirtied hair bouncing. All Might opened up his mouth to say something, but closed it in his shock. It then occurred to Chad that he had eaten a quirk, and this wasn't a prank Izuku had pulled. Bitch ass little piece of traitorous broccoli, that one. Ten-outta-ten would not recommend. "This feels wacked. What do I do? Just kick this thing? Or do I like, have to channel it or something?" 

Toshinori really couldn't believe his eyes. Well, he could. But he also couldn't. Of course he'd been pretty sure Chad had One For All. He'd literally eaten a hair given by a rather regretful Young Midoriya, after all. All signs pointed to him now being the wielder of it. That being said... he'd activated it so fast. And now it was here, and so just... real. He could feel it humming in the air so clearly and so presently. It felt powerful-- more powerful than usual, anyway. The potency it held as it sung through the air between them filled Toshinori's only remaining lung with a breath of fresh air. A wash of hope flowed into him, and he smiled. 

He wondered if Chad knew. Naturally he probably didn't, but Toshinori couldn't see how you could possibly miss something like this. One For All felt quite different here. Content, maybe? The erratic nature it usually held wasn't present. It had settled, nestling itself into Chad and bonding to him rather fast and rather surely. This, All Might thought, was a feeling he hadn't experienced since he first got One For All. Only this feeling was much, much stronger than it had been when Toshinori had experienced it. His doubts about Chad having this quirk washed away. He'd been afraid, before. He couldn't find it in himself to be now.

"I..." Toshinori shook his head a bit, trying to shake off the nostalgia that came running to meet him. Chad blinked at him expectantly. The light cut off every time he did, momentarily bathing the box they were stuck within in darkness. For some reason it made Toshinori want to laugh. There was absolutely nothing funny about the situation they were in, but a bubble of humor rose from his stomach and popped in his chest unbidden. He couldn't help but chuckle just a bit. "I suppose so, young man. One For All seems to have taken to you very well. Better than I could've hoped, actually."

"Baller." Chad had no idea what that meant. Honestly, this whole quirk thing really didn't feel as foreign as he thought it would! He'd have thought his body would've rejected the power, seeing as he'd been a quirkless gangster his whole ass life with only the power of firearms and very sharp knives on his side. This wasn't the case, however. The quirk felt almost natural. Shit flowed through him like a river. But like, a really smooth river that had like, no turbulence whatsoever. Cruising. It was sorta the shit, to be frank. "So I'm just gonna..."

His eyes began to glow a bit brighter. Chad wasn't sure why his eyes were glowing, or how he wasn't blinded by it. All Might started laughing when Chad blinked, which made him think maybe the ex-pro was losing it in here. All the more reason to get them the hell out, he guessed. He didn't need a nut-job on his hands. Though, that was a total vibe. Chad wouldn't completely disregard it. In fact, laughter was sort of a power move. They were being fucking kidnapped and carted off to god knows where, and mans was laughin' his ass off while Chad tried to figure out how to supercharge his only good foot. It was actually... well, it was hilarious.