A/N: Been a while… oops...

Inspired by Levius.

Chapter 5: The Pink Partner

Under the midday sun, Izuku Midoriya stood stiff among the cobbled streets of Yamanashi. His worn and weary reflection stared back from outside the window of a streetside shop. Above the window read, in freshly painted wildly bold letters: Mei's Mechanics.

Despite the exhaustion that roiled through his muscles, he worked up a smile. Today was a big day.

I need to get stronger. And that means I'm going to need my right arm.

His thoughts drifted back to the night before. The night he decided to set things right. After handily being beaten by Gran Torino in the pit, the words of his guardian echoed back to him now.

'Not bad for a kid with one arm. You clearly have some sense of combat training, certainly better than when Toshinori first started. You want to compete in Quirk Martial Arts as a means to get stronger? We're going to have to start your training immediately. However, you're not going to be able to train effectively without your right arm. There's a shop nearby on the edge of the crafts district. They should have what you're looking for.'

The memory receded and he took a shaky breath, steadying himself as he stood before the door. Izuku turned the knob and pushed. A bell above the door chimed softly as he left the busy murmurs of the street and entered the small shop.

Dimly lit and smelling of machinery and smoke, dust wandered through the sunbeams streaming through the window. The quiet was stifling and left his ears feeling stuffy. It was a simple layout. A counter up front with various tools on display and a back door leading to what he assumed would be a workshop room.

There wasn't anyone behind the counter as he approached slowly. A few seconds passed and doubt crept into the corners of his mind.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" he called out meekly, cringing at his own voice.

When nobody answered, he looked back to double check that the sign said open. Sure enough, facing him was a 'closed' sign, meaning to the world outside, 'Mei's Mechanics' was open for business.

Maybe I should come back another day? No, I can't turn back now. I have to make every day count. I need to get stronger as soon as possible.

Clearing his throat, he mustered his confidence.

"Is there a… Mei, here? I need to speak with her about- AGHH!"

Suddenly, from behind the counter, a pale arm shot out and latched onto the counters edge. Izuku stumbled back and raised his arm in defense.

"Mmmm… I'm up…"

Climbing to her feet, using the counter for support, a young girl with pink hair yawned, stretched, and rubbed her eyes. Izuku peered from behind his one-armed guard. Covered in grease stains, frazzled, clad in a black tank top, cargo pants, with goggles perched in her messy hair, she met his gaze.

Golden crosshairs targeted his emerald irises.

"Why are you in my shop?" she asked softly, not the least bit startled.

Panic began to rise within him but he held his ground.

"Oh… well, the sign said you were open."

"Oh, it did? Huh. What time is it?"

Huh?

Confusion aside, he lowered his guard, stepped back to the counter, and reached for his pocket watch.

"Umm, it's twelve-thirty-two."

The girl mused over this information then nodded resolutely. As if shedding all vestiges of sleep, she shook her head and a bright and energetic demeanor took over her visage.

"We are most definitely open then. I must have stayed up too late tinkering and crashed. What's today? Wednesday?"

"Friday actually," he offered.

As if the passing of two days without her knowledge was of no concern, she waved her hand playfully and smiled.

"Ah well no matter. What can I do for you…"

Her eyes had been on him, but as if finally considering his presence, she searched for a name. Under those golden crosshairs he couldn't help but feel examined.

"Oh, um… Izuku, Izuku Midoriya."

As he introduced himself he could tell there were wheels turning in the girls head.

"Hmm, you look familiar Izuku."

She leaned across the counter, her eyes narrowing until they shot open. In a jolt, she reached out and grabbed him by the collar.

"THAT'S RIGHT! You're the jerk who ran into me a few days ago and broke my precious baby! I spent the last three nights fixing that! I hardly slept at all! And now it's… uh..."

"Friday?" he offered once more.

Her stare was scrutinizing and hard.

"FRIDAY! And because I was fixing my baby, THAT YOU BROKE, I didn't complete some work orders! And because I didn't do those, I have less time to build my babies! LESS TIME for BABIES!"

Babies?

She began to shake him by the collar.

"What do you have to say for yourself, BABY KILLER?"

BABY KILLER?

Izuku's mind was a whirlwind as he struggled to keep up. The girl's nose was pressed against his as she glared into his confused eyes and he felt heat begin to creep behind his cheeks.

"I'm sorry?"

Her scorn lasted a few seconds longer before she let him go abruptly, a smile slipping across her lips once more. Izuku let out a sigh of relief and fixed his shirt.

"Good, it's not nice to bump into people like that. It's even worse to hurt other people's babies. But, you seem like a nice enough boy, so I'll let it slide."

The girl proceeded to hop on top of the counter, dangle her legs off the side as she faced him, and cock her head to the side pleasantly.

"The name is Mei Hatsume, inventor extraordinaire, and this is my shop. I do commissions, fixes, and bulk orders."

Her eyes drifted to his empty right sleeve.

"So then, baby killer Izuku Midoriya, what can I do for you? Something tells me you might need a HAND with something… maybe an ARM even?"

He stiffened.

Is that excitement in her voice? It would be really great if she was enthusiastic about this. Still, she looks to be around my age, can she really build me a combat prosthetic?

"Ah, it's nice to meet you Mei, but um… aren't you a little young to be running a mechanic shop?"

Mei snorted, amusement dancing in her golden orbs.

"Aren't you a little young to be coming to a mechanic shop? Shouldn't you be rough housing with the other boys and killing babies?"

Izuku choked on air, sputtering for a moment.

What is it with her and babies?

"That's a fair point. Though I don't know about that last part…"

Izuku looked away from her, examining the shop around them while he summoned the words he wanted to say. He'd always been a little anxious talking to people but this Mei Hatsume was another level of anxiety inducing entirely.

Taking a breath, he began.

"So Mei, you mentioned that you do commissions?"

Her legs began swinging back and forth excitedly and the crosshairs in her eyes expanded.

"I did. Commissions, in fact, are my specialty."

There was unmistakable delight that emanated from her voice. There was something comforting about that that he couldn't quite place. It helped ease the sudden flow of dark reminders of why he was here. There were plenty of prosthetics already on the market, but few would suit the requirements of combat. However...

Gran Torino recommended this shop and I trust him. I have to trust her too.

"I… well… I lost my arm during the fall of Musutafu," he stepped closer, presenting the empty sleeve, "and I was wondering if you could help me with a prosthetic. Not a normal one. I… I…"

He struggled, the words stuck in his throat as his eyes fell to the floor.

"You need one you can fight with."

His gaze shot up to regard the girl before him. Her legs had stopped swinging and the smile she wore earlier had shifted to something gentle, vulnerable even.

"How-" he started.

"How did I know? Well, when I scared you earlier, your immediate reaction was to step into a fighting stance and I can just tell… you have something to prove, something to fight for."

Izuku thought back to the car ride he had with his father right before everything changed. Focusing back on the present he looked at Mei.

She noticed my stance? She must be more observant than I thought.

"How-" he started again.

"How can I tell? Well that's simple…"

There was something about the way she looked at him that simultaneously sent a shiver down his spine and a rush to his head.

"I have something to prove as well."

They shared a look. It was as if, for a moment, they weren't so young, they weren't just strangers. Those golden crosshairs hovered over his emerald irises.

And then the moment passed.

Mei's legs began swinging again, her smile returned to normal, and they were just two kids in a shop.

"Well then, Izuku Midoriya, it was nice meeting you."

He laughed nervously.

"Likewise, Mei."

"I can't wait to make this baby with you."

He froze.

Baby? With me? Stay calm Izuku, you've noticed by now that when she's talking about machines she says "baby."

Despite the rationale, he felt his cheeks heat up, and he looked away.

"Yep, I can't wait either."

Mei's eyes lit up and she jumped off the counter and took his hand.

"Good because I literally cannot wait. Come with me. We're going to get started!"

"Oh! Um… okay."

She tugged him along to an entrance behind the counter, eventually leading him to the door he suspected led to a workshop. Now that they stood close, he was embarrassed to notice that she was actually taller than him by a centimeter or two.

Opening the door, she pulled him down a small staircase that led to an open room with tall ceilings. Lining the walls was counter space with cabinets below them. In the center of the room was a large worn work table. Machinery and tools alike were scattered all around the workshop. It was cluttered, but in a charming way.

"I'm so excited! I've never designed my own prosthetic before! I've worked on standard limb replacements but this is a whole new realm I'll have to explore! The servo articulation has to be just right and the steam capacity for quick movements is going to be tricky! Should we do armor plating? I think so. OH have I mentioned that I'm excited!"

Mei let go of his hand and manifested two stools from somewhere in all the clutter. Setting the stools at the center table, they sat down facing each other.

"Alright Izuku, first things first, I have to see what we're working with. Would you mind removing your shirt?"

Izuku hesitated as a spike of nervousness lanced through him. Other than the hospital staff and All Might, nobody had seen his wounds. He had been living with Gran Torino for a few weeks now and even he had not seen them.

He glanced at Mei. She smiled so honestly. It settled his nerves.

Izuku nodded and, with his left hand, unbuttoned his white collared shirt. The cloth fell to the floor and a chill in the air caused him to shiver. He hadn't felt it earlier but the metal plating on his torso that served as a basis for prosthesis was incredibly cold against his skin.

Mei stood up quickly from her seat and quickly took to examining him. Her eyes were so focused on him and he began to feel self conscious.

"Um… Mei?"

"SHHHH! I'm thinking…"

His self consciousness faded away. There was something about Mei's complete sincerity and bluntness that set him at ease. She paced around him, looking at the plated socket from all sorts of angles. This went on for a few minutes, all the while Izuku waited anxiously if patiently.

Finally, Mei took her seat across from him again. He reached down and draped the button up shirt over his shoulders and looked to her.

"So then? What do you think?" he asked anxiously.

Almost in direct contrast with her bubbly all-over-the-place behavior from before, she spoke with a calm resolution.

"The plate graft looks good. Your body has taken to the steam circuits well. As it stands, we could equip you with any old steam prosthetic and it'll work for most everyday life. However, for what you want, we're going to have to make our own prosthetic, as well as some adjustments to your own prosthesis plating for the extra strain it'll undergo in combat."

She took a breath, looking away, then sharply back into his eyes.

"It will hurt, a lot. Nerve endings and steam circuits don't tend to feel compatible, even if they are. And even then, they'll be incredibly sensitive. You WILL feel every punch you throw."

I'll… feel it?

His left hand curled into a fist slowly.

Good.

"I understand Mei, thanks for warning me. I still want to do this. I need to be able to fight."

Mei nodded her head, and the gloom of her seriousness dissipated. Her smile is enough to even lift his own spirits.

She really understands.

"I'll get to work on our baby right away, I assume you'll want this commission done as fast as possible?" she chirped as he buttoned up his shirt.

"Thank you Mei, that would be grea-"

Her smile slipped into a smirk.

"That said, my own excitement, and your dire need for an arm aside, if I'm focusing on your commission, then I can't exactly run my shop, now can I? I do run a business after all, I can't just be doing jobs for free either."

She's right. This is a lot to ask of her. And if she were to ask for payment for the commission I don't have any money.

Izuku's eyes fell to his lap.

I should just tell her I can't pay and leave. I already wasted enough of her time as it is.

"Oh don't look so gloomy Izuku."

A spark of hope crackled to life as his emerald orbs trailed up to her pleasant, if scheming, expression. Her golden cross hairs had locked in on her target.

"I propose an arrangement between us. Work for me. I'll teach you everything you need to know about being a basic mechanic. The orders in Yamanashi are pretty simple. You'll run the shop while I work on your commission and you'll also be 'paying' for it BY working for me. And if I need you for anything, you'll be nearby so it's convenient."

Izuku could only sit in awe.

"So then, this is a pretty sweet deal, what do you say?"

Izuku couldn't help the smile that spread across his features.

"That's perfect, Mei… thank you."

The girl across from him broke out into a chuckle.

"Oh you really shouldn't thank me. My motivations are pretty selfish. I just want to work on our baby. If it does you a solid in the process then that's just icing on the cake."

He shared a laugh with her.

"That's not selfish, you're still doing something for me. It just also happens to be for you as well."

Mei's eyes widened and the hint of a blush rose to her cheeks. Izuku felt his own face start to heat up. They both looked away.

Maybe I shouldn't have said that. Let's change the topic.

"So Mei, when would you like me to start working?"

She leaned back and brought her hand up to her chin, the wheels turning in her head.

"Well, seeing as you currently know nothing about mechanics at the moment, and I have a backlog of work orders to complete, how about you come back here sometime tomorrow? The faster you can pick up the delicate art of baby making, the sooner we can get to work on our baby."

Coming to that conclusion, she grinned and gave him a thumbs up, oblivious to the embarrassment she was causing him.

"I'll do my best, you can count on me Mei."

She smiled and stuck out her left hand. Acknowledging the gesture, he reached out with his own and shook firmly.

"You know Izuku, I think this is the start of a long and mutually beneficial partnership."

He couldn't agree more.

A/N: Thanks for reading.