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recolle2018-03-12 11:33 am
infreefall) wrote in recolle2018-03-12 11:33 am
[closed]
WHO: Ochako and Katsuki
WHERE: Utsuki Dojo
WHEN: March 17
WHAT: Sparring!
WARNINGS: none unless you count Katsuki Bakugou
Sparring with other people is important to improving your skill in martial arts. That’s what they keep saying, and that’s what Ochako tells herself when she’s partnered with another orange belt who seems afraid of going all out. Her brow furrows as her opponent falls into another block and steps back again, calling for a quick break - is he shy? Is that it? There are plenty of other students in the dojo who tend to rely on defense more than offense, but she’d been hoping for a good spar today.
School had been more frustrating than usual this week. Her grades continue to be middling at best, but Ochako had been hoping to bring up her average a little with that recent astronomy essay. The solid C she’d received on it isn’t going to help, though, and neither will that quiz she messed up in English class. If she’s supposed to be graduating and moving onto college soon, she should be doing better… so why can’t she seem to improve?
Even in karate, she’s struggling to get better - although she can see the reason for that isn’t all on her. People look at her cheery personality and small physique and see someone who shouldn’t be in the ring, but Ochako knows better. Knowing her weaknesses means she knows, more or less, what she needs to do to improve on them, and that’s why she’d chosen this person as her partner. Her other friends aren’t around, after all, and this guy’s been pretty fierce in his other spars. Why that’s changed today, she isn’t sure - hopefully it’s just because he’s tired? That must be why he needed the break, Ochako reasons, stretching until he returns a moment later to fall into a ready stance. When he doesn’t make the first move, Ochako does, but he stays on the defensive. He doesn’t seem to notice when she overbalances her round kick, but that’s all the better for her, right? Less falls mean less bruises, after all.
WHERE: Utsuki Dojo
WHEN: March 17
WHAT: Sparring!
WARNINGS: none unless you count Katsuki Bakugou
Sparring with other people is important to improving your skill in martial arts. That’s what they keep saying, and that’s what Ochako tells herself when she’s partnered with another orange belt who seems afraid of going all out. Her brow furrows as her opponent falls into another block and steps back again, calling for a quick break - is he shy? Is that it? There are plenty of other students in the dojo who tend to rely on defense more than offense, but she’d been hoping for a good spar today.
School had been more frustrating than usual this week. Her grades continue to be middling at best, but Ochako had been hoping to bring up her average a little with that recent astronomy essay. The solid C she’d received on it isn’t going to help, though, and neither will that quiz she messed up in English class. If she’s supposed to be graduating and moving onto college soon, she should be doing better… so why can’t she seem to improve?
Even in karate, she’s struggling to get better - although she can see the reason for that isn’t all on her. People look at her cheery personality and small physique and see someone who shouldn’t be in the ring, but Ochako knows better. Knowing her weaknesses means she knows, more or less, what she needs to do to improve on them, and that’s why she’d chosen this person as her partner. Her other friends aren’t around, after all, and this guy’s been pretty fierce in his other spars. Why that’s changed today, she isn’t sure - hopefully it’s just because he’s tired? That must be why he needed the break, Ochako reasons, stretching until he returns a moment later to fall into a ready stance. When he doesn’t make the first move, Ochako does, but he stays on the defensive. He doesn’t seem to notice when she overbalances her round kick, but that’s all the better for her, right? Less falls mean less bruises, after all.
definitely count him, thx
The girl with the round face frequents the dojo often, usually wandering during the afternoon hours, which is about the same time that Katsuki usually stops by. He sees her a lot, occasionally watching her attempts to spar from the edge of his vision as he scrolls through mindless websites on his cellphone. It's the same thing every time. Every guy she comes up against pulls his punches, takes blows he could easily dodge, and calls the match just late enough to pretend like he tried. They always seem to walk away with a strange swell of pride, internally congratulating themselves for not compromising their out-dated morals and hurting a girl.
It's not a fair match. Fuck, it's not even a match at all.
Pointless, that's what it is.
Roundface isn't bad, definitely good enough to actually win most of the sparring matches that he's seen her take part in. She just doesn't get a chance to when her opponent throws the match and concedes defeat as if it'll net him some sort of merit badge. Good job, you fuckhole, you took a loss instead of putting some effort. Katsuki can't reconcile with that sort of mentality, can't accept that way of thinking when he fights any opponent before him earnestly. He's not going to show someone less than what he's capable of to protect their feelings.
If the gap between them is large, then it's up to them to narrow it—if they even can.
That's probably why he stands up from the bench he's been sitting on, nursing a bottle of water in between scrolling through his social media feed, and walks over to where roundface is standing above her opponent. He's already on the ground, smiling up at her sheepishly as if he hadn't just purposely taken an unnecessary blow. This is stupid and he's tired of watching it. He's already been tired for weeks. Enough is enough. Gripping him by his shoulder, Katsuki slings him off the mat. He slides off easily enough, only going as far as where the mat meets the hardwood floor.
"If this idiot won't fight you, I will," he says simply enough in way of explanation. He's not dressed properly, not for this, when he's in sweat pants and a tank top, but it's fine. It isn't like anyone would dare to stop him. There are whispers from behind him already, hushed comments calling him a bully and a brute because he shouldn't step into a match with her.
He moves into stance then, feet apart and hands raised. Katsuki waits for just a moment, long enough for her to understand that he isn't asking, before throwing the first punch.
no subject
But Katsuki reaches the boy before she does, startling them both as he throws the poor guy out of the ring. She’s been coming here long enough to know who he is, and how he fights - he’s a black belt, and he never shows any mercy in his fights. Though Ochako would be loathe to admit it, she’s… actually afraid of him, even if she’s found herself in awe of his skill before. He’s not a black belt for nothing. But why would he want to fight her? She’s nowhere near that level.
It’s the audience they’ve gathered that convinces Ochako to swallow her reservations. Maybe he is a bully - what does she know? But if Katsuki is the only one willing to go all out against her, she has no real reason to say no. Maybe this is what she needs. After all, the rest of them barely give her a chance in the ring. So when he falls into a ready stance, Ochako does the same, and tries to pretend she isn’t nervous about fighting someone so much higher rank. She nearly pulls back when he makes his move - he’s fast - but manages to stand her ground and deflect that punch, retaliating with a fist strike meant to knock him back.