This is way longer than it was meant to be.

This story came to be just for the purpose of one conversation.

Kinda the only conversation in the story, so I think you could guess what it was...

The rest kinda just happened.

Anyways,

—~Third Person POV~—

Shino and Artemis were assigned to a task that involved sneaking into a building to disarm a wayward villain. Shino assumes they were chosen for their compatibility, since not only are they partners, but they work quite well together. 

As they changed into their hero costumes in the locker room, Artemis shifted to his hero form. 

As Umbra, they both stretched a bit and spoke about a plan. 

The plan was simple, distraction, sneaking, fighting, the whole package. Since they had experience working as a duo, things were certainly going to work out for the best. All they needed to do was carry out their mission effectively and efficiently.

As they made their way to the destination, one of the many buildings Monarch is renting for the night, since all the students are in pairs doing different kinds of missions, Umbra went over the plan in his head, trying to account for any potential problems. Shino decided to think about strategy, and how they'd carry out the fight. 

So I'm others words they were ignoring each other and playing a game of "overthinking everything until it's over". 

Shino eventually glanced at Umbra after a particularly bad outcome of their fight. 

He stared at Umbra's white hair in contrast to his black sclera's and dark purple suit. The purple of the suit really brought out his deep purple irises. Shino has always wondered why Artemis' appearance changed when he used his quirk, but never questioned it for fear of making Artemis uncomfortable or unintentionally insulting him. 

Shino hadn't noticed he'd just been staring at Umbra this whole time, his eyes slowly following his movements before focusing on one aspect of him. During this time, Umbra caught a glance of Shino's shameless staring. He looks Shino up and down for a moment but Shino stays silent. Dazed much? Umbra thought, yet still felt a bit flustered at the undivided attention he was getting. 

"How about you undress me with your eyes later, we have things to do?" Umbra says, sarcasm lacing his tone. 

"Was not..." Shino mumbled.

"It sure felt like it. You were staring for over a minute, and don't even make me mention where you were staring." Umbra says with a smirk and an eye roll. 

"Shut up..." Shino says quietly while looking away from Umbra, his face turning visibly red, also visibly embarrassed. 

Umbra chuckles softly and steps closer to Shino, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Shino. It's not a big deal. I was just teasing you."

Shino's embarrassment intensifies as he feels the warmth of Umbra's touch. He clears his throat and tries to regain his composure. "Right, sorry about that. Let's focus on the mission."

Umbra nods, his smile fading into a more serious expression. "Agreed. We need to stay sharp and work together. No distractions."

They continue their approach towards the building, their steps synchronized and their minds focused. As they reach the entrance, Umbra signals for Shino to take the lead while he stays close behind, ready to react to any surprises. Shino nods and heads into the large doors almost silently. 

A guard doesn't take long to appear after Shino had gotten in. Umbra, following the plan orchestrated in his head, blocks off the door with shadows before swiftly kicking the armored person on the side of their helmet. They stumble slightly before drawing out a taser, aiming a beam of electricity at Umbra, who quickly registers that it's not a normal taser.

He quickly creates a shield over himself, deflecting the next strike from the taser, causing it to bounce back at the attacker, leaving Umbra stunned.

HOW DID HE NEVER KNOW HIS SHADOWS COULD DEFLECT THINGS!?

Umbra basks in his newfound power for a few seconds before bouncing back into action. 

He leaps toward the attacker, kicking the taser out their hand while they're still twitching from the electrical zap. After a few moments, the guard starts to disintegrate, glitching out with a blue flash. So they're just holograms... 

Umbra didn't have much of a problem before, thinking that they were real people—honestly it scared him how much he enjoyed it—but knowing that they were holograms was a bit more comforting.

—~+~—

Shino roamed the identical walls of the building cautiously, trying not to think about how worried he was for Artemis. 

The attacker looked tough.

Shino tried to convince himself that Umbra was capable and smart, able to handle himself, but the doubts still lingered in the back of his mind. He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on his own task at hand.

Shino ran into more guards. Although he quickly realized that they were holograms, feeling the light radiating from them. He quickly rushed forward, sword in hand. 

Shino pushed the guards closer and closer together with his shield until they were close enough for him to absorb the light from them all at once. 

As Shino sucked the light from the holograms, he could feel the burst of energy that came with the light. He suddenly felt as though he drank 5 energy drinks and 2 coffees. I'm gonna regret this later... Shino pushed the thought aside and ran further into the hall, a little faster now.

—~+~—

When Shino and Umbra finally met up again, both of them instinctively checked on each other out of pure worry. Their eyes locked for a brief moment, their concern evident. But just as quickly as the moment arose, they brushed it off as if it didn't happen. 

Shino stopped looking around Umbra's body for any signs of harm and Umbra retracted his hand from Shino's arm as he was moving it away so he could check for any damage to his ribs.

Shino tried to play it cool, a sly grin forming on his face. "What's the matter, Umbra? Worried about me?"

Umbra crossed his arms, trying to hide the relief that washed over him. "Don't flatter yourself, Shino. I just thought you might mess up without me keeping an eye on you."

They shared a knowing smile before going deeper into the seemingly endless building.

"Did it look this big from outside or am I just crazy.." Shino said after they were walking in silence for a while. 

"Not even... Can we just finish this already?" Umbra says in return, rolling his eyes in boredom.

Suddenly the room seemed to shake, the two looked at each other momentarily before Umbra rushed to the other side of the room. 

A large holographic knight jumped down from the ceiling. Umbra chuckled at hearing Shino swear loudly before taking control of the knights shadow. 

Shino created a sword out of light, slashing at the knights armor, quickly reading that he was barely leaving a scratch. More momentum. He thought, doing quick math in his head.

He rushed over to where Umbra was, noticing that he was trying to control it through its shadow. "I think if we can hit it really hard it'll just disappear or something and we win," Shino said while catching his breath, kicking himself for not being able to explain his idea properly. Umbra nodded, seeming to understand.

What the fuck is this boy talking about? Umbra thought, having nodded just to let Shino know he was listening. 

"I need you to hold the knight down long enough for me to climb up that wall, then throw something heavy." Shino said, pointing to a small "ledge" on the wall, which was really just a garnishing. Artemis looked up, just noticing how tall the ceilings really are. He couldn't see the very top as it disappeared into darkness. The ledge Shino was pointing to was about halfway to the abyss.

"That's sounds just crazy enough it could work, go ahead crazy." Umbra said, finally getting control the knight. 

Shino grinned, running over to the wall and starting to climb.

There were various engravings on the wall, making Shino believe that the building was some kind of museum. He could feel engraved faces and animals, smooth and jagged edges to provide good leverage. He climbed up the wall as quick as he could, looking back that Umbra every now and then to see how he was doing. Umbra was fine, waiting patiently, watching the knight struggle against his shadowy grasp. 

When Shino finally reached the top, he look a quick breather before creating a large hammer. He lifted it a few times, getting a feel of the weight before deciding it was big enough. 

Shino whistled loudly, getting Umbra's attention, who promptly moved away. Shino swung the hammer a few times before letting it fly towards the knight, who dissolved upon contact. 

The hammer also disappeared hitting the ground. Shino cheered before feeling tired. The hammer had taken a lot of light, tiring him out. 

"Hey, Umbra, catch!" Shino called down before letting himself fall forwards.

Umbra was alarmed for a moment, seeing how quick Shino was plummeting. Umbra ran forward, shifting to shadows to go faster before reconstructing to catch an unconscious Shino. He fell into Umbra's arms already asleep. 

Umbra laughed to himself before shifting Shino in his arms, preparing to carry him back to the locker rooms and mentally preparing himself for what he had to do in order to return both their hero costumes.