Chapter 4

Izuku stood of front of the large metal door to the Development Studio. He was nervous. Hatsume was always a lot to handle but he felt he could handle it this time. He was determined to see this through. He inched closer to the door, fearing it might blow off its track once more. Once he was close enough, he gave the door a few good kicks with his iron sole. He heard a bit of clattering from within and a few moments later the door slid open. It was Mr. Maijima, Power Loader.

"Oh. You're Midoriya from class 2A right? I thought it might have been that parts delivery I was waiting on. What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping to speak with Hatsume about something. Is she here?" Izuku was fairly confident she would be. From what he understood, she rarely if ever left the workshop. Which was confusing for him. Did she sleep there? Eat there? How did she bathe? And a long list of other living complications that followed after. He just didn't understand it, he guessed.

"I just sent her to pick up some food from the cafeteria. She should back in a couple minutes. Would you like to come in and wait for her?" He nodded and followed the support course teacher into the studio. Maijima pulled a stool up to a table and gestured to it. "You can sit here while you wait."

Izuku sat down. Power Loader sat at a stool across from him.

"So kid, how're you holding up?" He gestured to Izuku's arms. So others knew the situation then. Izuku wasn't sure whether or not that came as a relief to him. At least he wouldn't have to explain the situation repeatedly if the faculty already knew.

"I'm getting better. It was really tough to cope with at first, but I've had some help along the way."

"That's good. It always helps to keep a good support system going, you know?"

"A-A what?" A support system? Was that some kind of contract between a hero and a support company? Was Maijima trying to sell him on a support course contract? Izuku was very confused.

"You don't know? A support system is like the friends and family you know you can go to when you're not feeling your best. They're the people you can rely on for their full support even in trying times. I figured you knew what I meant when you mentioned getting help from others earlier."

"Oh, well I've got my mother at home and I've also got some great friends who support me too…" He trailed off, blushing at the thought of mentioning Ashido specifically. He was still confused on why of all the people in class 2A, she had been the one to confront him about his fragile mental state. It seemed his blush didn't go unnoticed.

"Oooooh! You look like you've got someone specific in mind. A girl maybe?" He began to panic. He had been found out! His deepest secret had been unearthed. Well, second deepest. He supposed One For All was probably a bigger secret still. Wait. Why was he so keen on keeping Ashido secret anyway? He had no real reason to. She was just there for him when he needed it most. Nothing else to their relationship beyond that. Relationship? No, friendship. Izuku wasn't comfortable with the word relationship when thinking about the pink-haired girl from 2A. Or was he? He was really confused on that subject matter, not that he gave it much thought. But now Maijima's words did have him thinking about it. Did Ashido mean more to him than he let himself believe? He shook his head, trying to clear it of these thoughts. Even if he did feel that way, there was no guarantee that she felt the same and Izuku was not too keen on making a fool of himself to the excitable girl in question.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. Haha! I already know your answer from your reaction." How could he have forgotten?!

"Oh no no! I-It's not like that, I swear! Ashido is just a friend! She was just helping me out when I was feeling low!" He began to vomit verbal truth as he panicked. The teacher just smirked in response, knowing he had succeeded in getting a rise out of the young man. That didn't mean he wasn't going to take it that one step further though. Even he wasn't beyond that.

"Ashido, hmm? The pink skinned girl in your class? Good on you kid! You two make a cute pair." Maijima walked around the table and clapped him on the back to punctuate his statement. Izuku lurched forward and any further protests died in his throat. He knew he couldn't win. But the more he thought about it, the more he warmed up to the idea of Ashido being a permanent fixture in his everyday life. Wait! He couldn't be thinking thoughts like that! He had way more important things to be worrying about. Like the pressing issue of his arms. That reminded him: where was Hatsume?

"Um. S-Shouldn't Hatsume be back by now?" He turned to Maijima.

"Hmm. You're right. It's been quite a while since I sent her out. Give me minute." The support expert moved over to his desk and reached for the phone sitting on it. He clicked a button and after a moment, Izuku heard the chime of the intercom going off.

"Mei Hatsume return to the development studio, please. Mei Hatsume to the development studio." He set the phone back in its perch and turned to Izuku. "There you go kid, she should be here soon. I've got some paperwork I forgot to file, so I've got to go. I hope Hatsume can help you with whatever you need. And remember: You and your girlfriend play it safe, okay?" Maijima winked as he slipped out the door, leaving Izuku a red, spluttering mess of embarrassment.

He hoped Hatsume wouldn't be too long; he didn't think he could live in his own thoughts for too much longer, his brain now consumed by thoughts of his acid wielding classmate. He did wonder however, if it had been anybody else who had approached him that night, would it be the same? Would he feel just as drawn to them as he was to Ashido now? He wasn't sure if it was her in particular, or if she was just in the right place at the right time. That part did worry him just a it, but he troed not to think about it too much for now. He heard the door slide open and sighed in relief to himself.

That relief was short-lived as he remembered exactly who he was waiting for in the first place. Suddenly, Izuku's vision was assaulted by the face of Mei Hatsume, her face framed by her bright pink hair. Her eyes were hidden behind her telltale goggles, but her wide grin and excitable motions spoke volumes to her excitement at finding Izuku in the workshop. He swallowed hard, knowing he was about to endure a verbal onslaught from the passionate girl in front of him.

"Midoriya?! What brings you here?! Need to me to modify your hero costume?! Or maybe you're here to help me test my new babies?!" With each question she leaned closer to him, and he continued to back up. He felt himself begin to lose balance and fall backwards off his perch. As he fell, he heard his arm smack lifelessly against the table before feeling his back land harshly on the ground. Hatsume didn't seem to notice his tumble and continued on rambling about some invention of hers.

"I've been developing a new baby. It takes the kinetic energy from your movement and converts it into a hard laser that fires from a shoulder-mounted cannon! Or! Or I've got another baby that monitors your brainwaves and anytime you seem distressed, it covers your vital areas in thick armor plating! I also modified the hover boots to have a more sleek design and reduced their fuel consumption by 17%! Oh! Oh and…" She finally seemed to take notice of him on the floor.

"Well what are you doing down there?" She approached Izuku and stared down at him as if he were stupid.

"You backed me off of the stool earlier Hatsume. I can't get up."

"Why not?" So Hatsume didn't know then. He supposed she wouldn't if she spent every waking hour in this workshop. But now he had to explain it all over again: something he didn't really want to do. He may finally be coming to terms with it all, but it was still an open wound on his mind. He sighed and readied himself to explain himself.

"Is it because of your arms?" Hatsume's tone was suddenly grim and somber. Izuku gawked at her. So she did know?

"Mr. Maijima told me about it: the fight with the paranormal lycanthropy people or whatever they're called. He told me that the hero course students were being thrown right into the fight with the pros. And then I heard that you fought their leader. The man with the creepy dust quirk. Maijima said you blew your arms up over and over. They don't work anymore do they?" Her voice was soft. She looked like she might actually cry. It was an uncomfortable juxtaposition to her earlier demeanor.

"No. They don't. I've lost all function and feeling in them. It's been hard, but I was only doing what I had to. Shigaraki was going to kill everyone. My friends. My mentor. My teacher. I had to put a stop to him before he could hurt anybody else. My arms were a small sacrifice." He sounded sure of himself at this point. He really did believe that what he did was the right thing to do. Anyways, he was here to try and alleviate the arm issue. As much as he could at least.

"That's why I need your help Hatsume." Izuku's tone sounded like he was pleading with her. And he was. She really was his last hope at having any remote function in his arms. She was the only person he knew who had the knowledge and determination to help him reach his current goal.

"You need my help?" Hatsume's somber tone was replaced with confusion. "What do you need my help for?"

"I was talking to a friend of mine and they suggested I go to the Support Department to find someone who'd be willing to help me out. I need arms Hatsume. I can't fight at full efficiency with these lifeless lumps of deadweight. Can you help me?" He fell to his knees and looked up to her. This was the closest he could get to begging, but he was sure that he got his point across.

"So you need me to build a super-cute baby to help your arms move again?"

"Yes. I know you're the perfect person to ask for help with this. If anyone can do this, it's you Hatsume."

Hope. He had genuine hope again. This was the break Izuku needed. It might not be a perfect fix for his situation, but he knew it was better than nothing.

"Well. If it'll help you get back on track to becoming a hero, then it's my duty as your exclusive support-equipment provider to help you out. I'd be happy to build you some arms Midoriya. And I'm sorry." Suddenly, Hatsume pulled Izuku in for a hug.

"I'm sorry that it had to come to this in the first place, but I'm really glad you're still here with us. Now I can continue to make super cute babies for you in the future." Izuku was a blushing mess. He began to tear up, wishing he could return the hug. Is this what Maijima meant by support system?

Hatsume pulled back, letting go of him.

"Now! We need to plan. I can probably have a prototype ready in the next couple of days. I'm thinking I'll have to combine the neural scanner from my armor baby with some exoskeletal components to provide you with the ability to move your arms consciously. I'll definitely have to improve the neural scanner if I want it to pick up on the more complex signals from your brain to your arm. And of course I'll need to make sure it's fully functioning and non-explosive before we try it for the first time." She stopped her brainstorming and turned to him.

"Do you have your phone with you Midoriya?"

"Uh, y-yeah. It's in my pocket."

"Can I see it?"

"Yeah, but… well, I can't really get it out like this." Izuku gestured to his arms by craning his neck towards them.

"Oh yeah! Sorry. I'll get it then" Hatsume moved swiftly to him and began digging deep into his left pocket. He went red immediately and struggled to splutter out any protests.

"O-Other pocket! Other pocket Hatsume!"

"Whoops haha! Silly me." She withdrew her hand from his left pocket and reached into his right. She pulled out his phone and inputted her information into his contacts.

"There! Now, I can message you when I have an update for you about your arms." She slipped his phone back into his pocket, lingering just a bit longer than she should've. Izuku couldn't handle these antics for much longer.

"Great! Thanks Hatsume! I should really be going now! I'll talk to you soon! Goodbye!" He really shouldn't have shouted all of that, but he needed to get out of that studio. He was at his limit for handling Hatsume. He retreated to the door before realizing he couldn't open it…

"Umm, Hatsume. Could you help me with the door please?" He chuckled nervously. Now he looked like an idiot.

"Of course!" Hatsume didn't seem to notice his strange behavior. She came and opened the door for him and waited patiently for him to pass through. As soon as he was past the large, metal door, he heard it slide shut. He assumed she was going to get started.

Izuku was really happy Hatsume had agreed to help him. And he really couldn't wait to tell Ashido all about it. He started off towards the dorms.

When Izuku arrived at the dorm the common room was packed with his peers. It seemed everyone was relaxing and winding down after today's combat exercise. No doubt they were all exhausted. He was eager to join them and discuss some of the day's highlights, but first he had to find Ashido and tell her the good news.

Izuku scanned the room, looking for her distinct pink hair and horns. He frowned to himself; she didn't seem to be down here. He caught a glimpse of Kirishima's red hair and decided he'd ask him if he had seen Ashido anywhere. He approached 2A's resident manliness expert.

"Hey Midoriya. What's up man? Where'd you go today?"

"H-Hey Kirishima. I just went to the Support Department to ask Hatsume something."

"Oh yeah? Did she catch your eye? It's pretty manly that you asked a girl out Midoriya. I'm proud of you!"

"W-Wait! That's not it at all. I was just asking her if she could build me a new piece of support equipment. I wasn't asking her out, I swear!" He began to freak out. This was gonna lead to some ridiculous misunderstanding for sure. Across the room, he heard Uraraka chime in.

"E-Eh?! Deku asked out a girl today?!" She looked mortified. Why would Uraraka have a problem with him asking out a girl? Wait! That wasn't what was important right now. He turned back to Kirishima. The red-haired boy was smirking.

"If you didn't come to tell me about a girl, then why did you come to see me?"

"I wanted to know if you knew where Ashido was. I need to talk to her about something important."

"Oh, I see now. Not Hatsume, got it." Izuku was thoroughly embarrassed at this point. Why was his classmate dead set on pairing him with his peers?! "I'm pretty sure she said she was going up to her room to rest or something. I haven't seen her leave so she should still be up there. Good luck Midoribro." Kirishima punctuated his last statement with a suggestive wink. Izuku gave up.

"Thanks." Was all he could get out with some dignity still intact. Before he quietly dismissed himself and left. First Maijima, and now Kirishima. Who else had anything to say about his love life (or lack thereof really)? Cause he sure would love to know. He approached the elevator and raised his knee. He pressed it firmly into the up switch on the panel. A moment later, it dinged and the doors slid open. He raised his leg once more and pressed the button for Ashido's floor.

When the elevator reached its destination, Izuku got out and began to scan the different doors on the hallway. His eye caught a glimpse of pink. A sign with the name Ashido engraved on it adorned the door in front of him. He steeled his nerves and took a deep breath.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

He knocked a few times. No answer.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"U-Umm, Ashido? It's Midoriya. I was hoping I could talk to you for a bit." He waited for a response. Still nothing. He turned around dejectedly, ready to leave. He would just have to find her later. Or maybe tomorrow. Or not at all…

"Hey Midori! What are you doing here?" Ashido? He turned around to inspect the origin of the shout and immediately fell backwards in embarrassment. His face felt like it was on fire. This was now the second time today that a girl had caused him to fall to the ground. The source of his embarrassment? Standing not five feet away from the young hero was his bubbly, pink-haired friend, clad in nothing but a bathrobe that left very little to the imagination.

"M-Midori?! Are you okay man?!" Ashido rushed over to him, which only served to worsen his flustered state. She leaned over him, grabbed him by the cheeks, and looked directly into his eyes. The proximity of their faces made all the panicked feelings return with vengeance and Midoriya could feel himself subconsciously biting his tongue to stop from crying out loud.

"A-Ashido! C-Could you please h-help me up?!" His words came out in a rush. She let go of his face and got into a crouch. She helped him sit upright before wrapping an arm around his torso, and together they were able to get Midoriya upright once more. He began uttering one apology after another, to which Ashido merely giggled playfully.

"Here, let me get dressed and then I'll let you in. Sound good?" He only nodded in response, trying hard to keep his thoughts from drifting to lewd images of his pink friend dressing herself. Bad thoughts! You're not Mineta, so act like it! But… it wouldn't be too difficult to imagine after seeing her current attire, all he would really have to is fill in the blanks… WAIT! No! No no no! Stop it brain! Stop right now! To keep his mind busy, he decided to focus on what was outside the nearest window.

He caught a glimpse of the sun setting behind a few buildings in the distance. It reminded him of his and Mina's recent encounter. Well, not too recent. It had been over a week at this point. But instead of looking upon the memory and thinking of all the sad moments he had, he was only focused on the pleasant ones he had shared with her. She really had taken his life and turned things around for the better. And he really didn't know how he could ever repay her. He was down on himself, a crumbling mess, and she had come in and quickly become a pillar to support him.

It made him feel a way he never had before. It was indescribable. It was very uplifting, but still carried an immense weight to it. Made him feel secure yet nervous at the same time. He just couldn't understand, but that was okay. For some reason, that just felt right. Almost like it was a force in and of itself. Daunting and mysterious.

"Midori! You can come in now! It's unlocked!" Ashido called from inside of her room. Midoriya filed those thoughts for later. They weren't of key importance at the moment.

He grabbed her door handle and twisted. As he entered her aptly decorated room, he realized this was only his second time seeing it. He studied it extensively, wanting to absorb every detail he could. If he remembered correctly, hers was one of the most furnished in the entire building; it had a table and chair, dresser, bed, and curtains, all in matching pink and black color schemes. Speaking of which, the contrasting colors brought to mind Mina's eye's contrast with her skin. Izuku had always found the uniqueness of her appearance very interesting and appealing. It matched her personality: bright, energetic, and extroverted; she was definitely someone who could hold the spotlight when she wanted to. He wondered if maybe she considered becoming an idol at some point. He chuckled to himself at that, doubting the inference. She was very steadfast in her goal to become a her, another trait he found admirable about her. Wait, was she talking to him? How long had he been thinking to himself?

"Thinking? Midori, you've been muttering to yourself for the last couple minutes." She deadpanned, clearly not joking.

"Ahh! H-How much did you hear?!"

"Erm, enough…" Now it was Ashido's turn to blush fiercely. She had heard everything he had muttered. From the bit about her appearance, to the part about her determination as a hero. She had no idea he felt that way about her; it made her stomach feel like it was full of butterflies. Her face burned twice as hot at that thought. Oh god. What was she thinking?

"S-So, what did you want to talk about Midori?" Ashido decided to realign the subject matter. She really didn't want to dwell any longer on the way Midoriya was making her feel. Especially not when he was right in front of her. She sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to her. He hesitated for a moment before sitting down and shift back from her.

"W-Well, I went and spoke with Hatsume earlier." He was quick to dive into the core of his subject matter, not wanting to waste any more time in telling his friend the good news. Mina seemed to be very invested; she was staring at him, awaiting his response.

"And?! What did she say?!" She leaned closer and he tried hard not to focus on her renewed proximity; he leaned back farther to gain some peace of mind. He loved Mina's company, but she had a tendency to forget that he had different personal boundaries from her other friends. Not that he minded the closeness, he was relieved she was comfortable getting close to him, he just wasn't sure how to react in that situation. So instead of worrying about closeness and nervousness, he pushed his thoughts forward and set himself on telling her what Hatsume had told him just a while ago.

"She said yes! She's gonna design and build an exoskeleton to help me use my arms again!" He could barely contain his excitement.

"Oh my god Midori! That's amazing!" Ashido lunged forward and embraced the timid boy suddenly. She was so happy that he was going to be able to move his arms again that she had forgotten his aversion to sudden physical contact. She pulled back, letting go of him quickly.

"Uh, sorry." She gave him a sheepish smile to accompany her apology, but she shocked to see his cheeks were only lightly-dusted with pink.

"I-It's okay. I feel the same way."

'I feel the same way.' What did he mean by that? Was Izuku's appetite haunted by swarms of butterflies like hers was? Did… did he feel warm around her like she did around him?

"It really is an amazing opportunity. Thanks for the idea, by the way." Izuku grinned broadly at her. There it was again. The butterflies, and the warm feeling, only they were stronger now. She needed to focus on something else.

"S-So when did she say they'd be ready?" She was stuttering a bit now and she knew it was obvious.

"Hatsume said she could have a prototype ready in the next few days. She said she would contact me when she had one ready. So all I've got to do now is wait a little while."

"W-Well that's good. I'm really happy for you M-Midoriya."

"Thanks, Ashido." He gave her one final smile before remembering he had some homework to take care of. He quickly excused himself.

"Well, I-I've got to go now. I have some studying I need to get done. Have a goodnight Ashido!" Izuku turned and left back through door he had come through only a few minutes ago. He felt a pull in his chest, like he didn't really want to leave, but he really did have some work to get done. He pushed the feeling down and continued down the hall towards the elevator.

Meanwhile, Mina had fallen into a reclined position on her bed. Her ceiling was her main point of visual focus, but her mind was elsewhere. She was slowly being consumed, more and more, by thoughts of one Izuku Midoriya. Throughout their last exchange she had begun to realize just what was happening to her. Where these strange feelings had been coming from…

'Oh god. I'm falling for Izuku Midoriya.'