Shinsou stood outside the door to room- 1S for the support heroes. To be fair, that room was given the unofficial name "Mei's workshop" considering that she did the bulk of the work that took place in that room. It was also where she spent so much time that Power Loader commissioned a full bath and a (rarely used) bed for sleep.

To be honest, the latter information is probably why the room was labelled "Mei's workshop."

Shinsou had nothing but respect for Mei's amazing work ethic. Okay, that was a lie. He was a little creeped out at how single-minded she was whenever she was working. But the good thing about her obsessive lifestyle was that she was locked out of the loop regarding such endeavors.

He looked down at the mask that she helped build and thanked whatever deity that was watching over him. The fact that it sustained some damage meant that he had a conversation starter.

Shinsou took a moment to decide whether or not to knock on the door but decided against it. He never pictured Mei as the type to care about common courtesy. Once he stepped into the room, he took a good look around his surroundings.

The place was a huge mess.

There were parts and fully completed pieces of tech just lying around. He heard some noises coming from the back of the room and just assumed it was Mei tinkering with some new gadgets. He figured that Mei was too wrapped in her world to notice someone opening the door and intruding in on her work.

"Hey Hatsume? You in here?" he called out.

The sounds of her work ceased as she stepped into view. Shinsou raised a single eyebrow in interest. She had a lot less grease stains adorning her body than usual, which told him that her work just started. Aside from that, she looked exactly like he pictured her. She still had her jacket wrapped around her waist and she still had her high-tech looking goggles and her the black tank top that was apparently all she needed to cover her while she was doing things like welding.

She still neglected to wear a bra and Shinsou began the arduous challenge of trying not to stare at Mei's breasts.

He didn't really think of himself as perverted or anything but the girl he had a huge crush on was just hanging out without a bra. A part of him figured that she wouldn't care if people stared at them but the rational side of him won and he did his best to avert his eyes.

"Ah, my eleven o'clock appointment is here!"

"You remembered?"

Mei wagged her finger in interest "I always remember my business meetings! You don't get far in the world of hero support if you're not consistent! Though you are ten minutes early so that explains why you had to call out my name."

Shinsou let out a mild "huh" at that statement. He always figured Mei was super absent minded but it turns out that she saved all of her concentration and focus on the things that mattered to her. Which apparently did not include sleep most of the time.

Why did he develop a crush on her of all people?

"Yeah, the mask is sorta damaged after the Joint training session we all had."

Mei grinned "Ah yes! That's the reason why you moved up to the hero course, right?"

Shinsou smiled "Yeah...I couldn't have done it without your help, you know that right?"

To his surprise, Mei softly laid a hand on his shoulder. He couldn't believe any of this was happening. Had his words actually affected her? He wondered just what she would say to him now.

"Oh Shinsou...when you become a hero…"

"Yeah?"

"Can you put in a good word for me?"

He didn't know what he expected...but he was still let down by what she just said.

"I mean, think of it Shinsou! Imagine you're getting awarded for your bravery ten years down the line and some journo asks you "What helped you become a hero?" and then you respond by showing off your tech and going "my mechanic, the awesome Mei Hatsume made my gear" and then all the heroes watching will decide to ditch the losers making their gear and move on to me!"

Despite the fact that Mei did not say what he was hoping for, Shinsou still cracked a smile at her words. It was nice to see someone be so utterly confident in his chances of becoming a great hero. Even after battling the odds day in and day out and actually reaching the hero course, there were still days where he felt low and hearing talk about how he's gonna be a great hero as if it were a given made him feel something.

He didn't know if that was due to the fact that he had a crush on her but he honestly couldn't really care.

"So, what's the damage?"

"Huh?" Shinsou snapped back into reality "Oh yeah, just some cracks along the muzzle. That last match really turned into something. Monoma nearly broke arm copying Midoriya's quirk so he was out early. Mineta and Ashido were the wildcards...we didn't even think of them and they made us regret our choices.

Mei cocked her head to the side "All the students from the support classes were watching the fights. I still think the third battle was the roughest. Iida had a building dropped on him!"

There were the barest traces of worry in her voice and Shinsou picked up on that. Despite his normally logical thought process, he couldn't help but feel a bit miffed that the first time he heard apprehension come from her was a result of Iida.

He remembered that her and Iida had quite the match during the Sports Festival and she seemed like she was having the time of her life. Maybe those two had a secret relationship? He couldn't be too sure. He knew that Iida kept everything under wraps so it wouldn't be a surprise if they kept it hidden, and even if they weren't dating, nothing discounted the fact that Mei might have a longstanding crush on Iida. It wasn't the craziest concept, Uraraka has a thing for Bakugou and he himself has a crush on Mei. he needed to subtly inquire about that.

"So...you were worried about Iida?"

Fucking nailed it

"Yes...He had a building dropped on him." Mei stated matter of factly

"Well...Uh, Todoroki and Tetsutetsu were really hurt as well."

Mei scoffed "I know that and I'm kinda mad Todoroki keeps rejecting any more advanced gear I developed. He wasn't that stubborn before when I upgraded his suit but now he's pushing himself extremely hard. I'm not too sure about Tetsutetsu but I did hear that he went inside an oven to withstand the heat. But still, their bullheadedness is annoying to deal with."

"I...didn't know you felt that way…"

"Of course I do!" Mei practically yelled "If anyone gets hurt...or worse out there...especially if they are using my gear or gadgets then I feel like it's on me. That's why I'm so keen on advertising myself! Sure, I would be lying if I said that I don't strive for fame, business deals, or money but in my heart, the reason why I work is to help all of you people. Heroes risk their lives day in and day out to keep everyone safe. If my tech makes your lives just a bit easier, you know that I'm gonna do anything in my power to do my part."

Shinsou was sincerely touched by her speech. All of his preconceptions of Mei being just "that kooky girl who wanted to get paid" were shattered. He didn't know what he had expected but it sure as hell wasn't that. A thought popped into his head and at first, he did his best to just ignore it but it kept nagging incessantly until he was forced to acknowledge it

She's too good for you

That was the truth. Mei has the ability to become a great hero using all her gadgets but she never thought about that at all. No, instead she's devoting herself to help others. All the fame that she could have gotten flying solo didn't matter to her. She knew that helping other heroes would make Japan a safer place. Her selflessness made his dream seem his lifelong dream seem downright narcissistic. These thoughts made Shinsou extremely uncomfortable so naturally he did what any other teen would do in this situation, change the subject.

"You heard about those rumors?"

"Not really. Don't really keep up with rumors...or talk to people." Mei affirmed

"Well, it had to do with me actually" Shinsou stated, matter of factly

"Really? Were people talking about how you switched over from general studied to the hero course?"

"Not really…"

Mei shrugged her shoulders as she filled the cracks of Shinsou's mouthpiece with some sort of plaster "That was my one guess"

"Well, a bunch of people thought that Uraraka and I are in a relationship because some people took pictures of us hugging and spread it around."

"That...sure is weird."

"Well, long story short, there's a whole thing going around about her and Bakugou being a thing and now a bunch of people are accusing her of sleeping around."

Mei clicked her tongue in sympathy "That's a shame. Uraraka seems like a good person. She doesn't deserve to have that happen to her"

Shinsou began rubbing the back of his neck "I know, it's pretty terrible. I can deal with it no problem because the worst I get is some people asking me if I'm cool with them "taking on Uraraka" which is still pretty gross mind you. Uraraka has to deal with most of the garbage."

Even though she was still repairing his mouthpiece, Mei was still very into the story "You two cleared it up, right? For the other students?"

"Well, we informed the class reps of both classes and they gave the rundown to class 1A and 1B. Everyone in those two classes are know the truth and are just as offended with these lies as me and Uraraka are. Thing is, the school just gave out an email discouraging rumors and won't do anything else to stop this."

"Something tells me that you all aren't happy with that?"

"Not at all. Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Kendou are investigating this on their own time to see who started the rumors and took the pictures."

Mei chuckled earnestly "Why am I not surprised? Well if they need any technology to help their little search, you tell them they could always come to me." After she said that line, she handed Shinsou back his mouthpiece.

"Alright, it's as good as new. If you have any problems with anything else, schedule another appointment with me."

As Mei shooed him away Shinsou knew this was his golden opportunity to ask her out. He steeled himself for a brief moment before-

"Hey...Hatsume?"

She turned around "What's up?"

"I...uh…" Shinsou had lost his nerve and he bowed his head "T-Thank you for fixing my gear!"

Mei snorted "Nice Midoriya impression!"

"So, you pulled a Deku?" Uraraka asked while (not really) trying to hide her laugh.

Shinsou felt his face heat up before he delivered a comeback "At least I talked to Hatsume!"

"Honey, I think talking to her actually gave you less of a chance." Uraraka shot back while Shinsou just grumbled

Uraraka ruffled Shinsou's hair in an effort to cheer him up "Come on, you must have made some good progress!"

"Well...I did find out more about her and it honestly makes me like her more…"

Uraraka shot him a wry grin "Oooh! Tell me more!"

"I always thought she was doing this for the cash but she genuinely feels like her she owes it to pro heroes to make them gadgets that would make their lives easier and that she feels a sense of guilt whenever she sees them hurt."

Uraraka covered the gasp that threatened to escape her mouth "Are we talking about the same Hatsume?"

Shinsou let out a contented sigh "Yeah...I was just as shocked as you were."

"Mei always seemed so weird! I had no idea that she was so noble! It...It makes all the jealousy I had for her back when I thought her and Deku were a thing feel so much worse. I never realized that I was feeling so bitter towards someone who was so nice!"

"Hey, you recognized your awful behavior and you made an effort to change" Shinsou reassured her "That makes you better than a lot of people who simply refuse to change."

"You think so?"

"I know so" Shinsou confirmed "Besides...I don't think Mei noticed your former jealousy towards her. She never bought it up once."

Uraraka breathed a sigh of relief "That's good to hear. Though I don't think Mei would talk much about anything romantic." Uraraka chirped

"Yeah...about that"

"Are you saying that Mei was talking about dating with you?" Uraraka squealed as she clasped her hands "What did she talk about?"

"I think...I think she and Iida are dating" Shinsou admitted

"What?" Uraraka asked in disbelief "What makes you think that Iida is dating her?" Uraraka almost couldn't believe that sentence through her laughter."

"She was talking about how worried she was when she saw Iida getting a building dropped on him during the battle between out classes and she looked devastated…"

"I think that has to do with the fact that Iida had a building dropped him Shinsou. Like, the fact that he kinda brushed it off is kinda amazing because Juzo's Softening quirk deactivates when he's knocked out. He just kinda took a building and got bruised up a bit...that's weird." Uraraka quickly caught herself rambling "What I mean is that she saw someone who helped get eyes on her in the sports festival who later became a valued customer almost die. Not everything is about romance…"

Shinsou's continuous sulking made it clear that he didn't buy her logic so Uraraka resorted to drastic measures.

She took her cellphone and began talking.

"Uh...Uraraka? What are you doing?"

Uraraka soundly ignored him as a sinister grin spread on her face "Oh, hey Iida! Quick question, are you and Hatsume dating"

Shinsou's eyes widened in surprise "Uraraka don't-"

He didn't finish his demand due to another interruption "So just acquaintances? That's what I thought. Thanks Iida! By the way, what kind of girl do you like?" She giggled "You're gonna have to tell me sometime!"

She then turned to Shinsou with a cheeky grin "See? You're fine! Now all you have to do is man up and ask her! Now help me practice asking Bakugou out! Who knows? Maybe I might inspire you to do the same thing? I could play a pretty convincing Mei, if I do say so myself."

Shinsou shook his head "Yeah...I'll take your word on that…"

Uraraka slapped him on the shoulder "Just put on the voice changing thingy and act like Bakugou!"

Shinsou raised his hand "Question, what if I'm not able to portray the amount of scumbag that Bakugou is."

Uraraka laughed in a sarcastic tone that bled contempt "Yeah, yeah, Bakugou is a jerk. We all heard that like a hundred times. Just help me out here, okay?"

Shinsou sighed once again "Fine..."

He put on the voice changer and fiddled with the settings before reaching an octave that fit Bakugou "Okay, how should I start this?"

Uraraka tapped a finger to her chin "Remember that Bakugou has a crush on me too. Well, he at least thinks I'm cute so you can't say anything like "I think you're fucking disgusting and you make my skin crawl" Okay?"

"Okay, where the hell did that come from?"

Uraraka tilted her head "What did what come from?"

"You started talking exactly like Bakugou. It's disturbing coming from a normal person."

"It's easy!" Uraraka beamed "Just be you with no filter and add a ton of curse words! Honestly, I wish I could be like that all the time! I would go around going "Hey, you fucking Deku, you're a great friend!" or "Fucking Iida! You're so smart!" it really spices things up!" she chuckled

Shinsou held his hands up in a "stop" motion "Alright, I get it. You can act normal. Just let me act like Bakugou and you act like a dignified human being."

Uraraka gave him a mock salute "Aya, aye captain. Let's start!"

"Hey Bakugou!" Uraraka started, struggling not to laugh at the absurdity of this situation.

"The fuck's up with you?"

Uraraka coyly bought her hands behind her back "Just thinking~"

"About what? Midoriya?"

Uraraka grunted "Gonna stop you there, Shinsou. Bakugou would never call him Midoriya. It's always "fucking Deku" got it?"

"You're right, sorry. Let me start over." Shinsou cleared his throat "About what? fucking Deku?" he got out of character "How was that?"

Uraraka stroked her chin "Hmm...He would never stop at just "fucking Deku" Try adding something insulting at the end like "That spinach haired piece of shit!"

"You know Midoriya's our friend, right?" Shinsou pointed out "Should we really be saying things like that about him?"

Uraraka waved off his concerns "Relax, it's just roleplay!"

"This sounds vaguely sexual…"

Uraraka snapped her fingers in front of his face "Focus! The only thing I want to "vaguely sexual" is Bakugou here!"

"...Did you think that was a euphemism or…?" Shinsou shook his head "Never mind, let me do this again. "Fucking Deku? That spinach haired piece of shit!"

"No, no. I want to talk about you, Bakugou."

"Bakugou" crossed his arms "And what the fuck is that?"

Uraraka shook her head "another mess up, Shinsou."

"Really? I thought I was doing good…"

"We know that Bakugou is interested in me, so he won't be confrontational. He's gonna lift his head up and do that's adorable little smug smirk that he only does when he knows he won something. And then he's gonna go "Tch, took you long enough, Uraraka!" The chestnut-haired girl cooed as she squeezed her eyes shut in glee

"Okay, did you really need to have me here?" Shinsou said as he took his mouthpiece off "it seemed that you had this storyboarded in your head."

Uraraka didn't even care that she just indulged in some fantasies "I was thinking about this moment for a while. I guess this is a sign that I should finally put my money where my mouth is?"

Shinsou shrugged "You know that he likes you. Go for it."

"You're right. I need to be bold with Bakugou! Great advice Shinsou!"

"I really didn't do much-"

"I should really do what you did for me! Give me your mouthpiece so I can become Hatsume!"

"Yeah, that's not happening. But if you do ask Bakugou out soon, I'm gonna talk to Mei about my feelings."

Uraraka pumped her fist into the air "Deal!"