The soft light of the morning pokes in through a covered window, angled just right to shine on Izuku's eyes as his body fights to remain asleep, wrapped around a soft, squishy and warm body pillow. Refusing to yield, he squeezes his pillow in tighter; a lacy mound under his hand having a wonderful amount of give that also causes his pillow to let out a pleased groan. "Geez, not even gonna let me wake up before playing. And I thought I was the horny one."
Quiet grumbles come from Izuku as he pulls his far too talkative pillow in closer, burying his face in it, the smell of peach tickling his nose. With the light mostly blocked out now, he relaxes again, settling back for sleep even as a hand starts wrapping around his, sliding it up and down a firm six pack. Ever so slowly, neurons start activating inside a fluffy green haired head, and eyes open to catch faint bits of sunlight reflecting off smooth blonde hair.
Eyes widen as panic floods his brain, hand squeezing the mound again as the pieces start clicking together. "Oh my gosh, sorry!" Izuku exclaims, letting go and shooting away from Yu, only for gravity to take control. Hitting the ground with a thump he shoots up and looks around, a vaguely familiar room around him.
"Well," Yu yawns, sitting up on the bed, "looks like you're wide awake now. And here I was hoping for some more sleepy cuddling."
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes and shaking it from his head, Izuku takes a moment to gather his thoughts and memories. "Yesterday, the exam, then I came over and..." Pink slowly fills his cheeks as thoughts of last night slam into the boyish innocence of his mind. "We're boyfriend and girlfriend." An irrepressible grin spreads across his face before he jumps onto the bed, wrapping her up in his arms before peppering her cheeks with kisses. "I love you, Yu, I never thought this could happen to me."
Hands clap his face before her lips meet his, silencing him in an instant. Her smile lights her face as she pulls back and says, "Love you too, Izuku. What do you say we get dressed and make breakfast together? I've got a few hours before patrol so we could probably squeeze in a movie or something."
"Sounds wonderful!" he replies, leaning back in to kiss her cheek.
The U.A. teacher's lounge is both busy and quiet as the entire mass of teaching staff goes through the entrance exams. An opera of pens and pencils scratching on paper, keys being tapped on keyboards and the sporadic munch of snacks or sipping of drinks, little needs to be said as they filter through their prospective students work. A sudden laugh from Majima Higari draws some attention, a few of the more bored teachers looking over in hopes of a brief distraction from the monotony.
"Hey, Aizawa, are you looking for a new costume?" He asks, causing the tired man to look up from his footage. "One of the potentials decided to design a new costume for Eraserhead and honestly, the kid's got some good ideas. He's even got some designs for a second capture scarf for you."
"Send it over," Aizawa responds, "I need a break from these recordings." The file is sent over and he opens it up, Yamada leaning over next to him to look too.
"Ha! They got your look down all the way to the scraggly beard and dead look in your eyes." Yamada exclaims with a slap on his thigh.
A small huff is Aizawa's only acknowledgement of his fellow teacher's jab as he looks over the design. "The kid's got potential," He agrees after giving the designs a once over, "Practical ideas, though I already have a protective layer in my costume. The taser scarf seems at least achievable to make and could be a decent upgrade to my capture scarf if it works."
"His mechanical design would need some refinement, but honestly, it's one of the better and more creative designs I've seen so far." Majima agrees, "If I see another 'Endeavour Flame Enhancer', or 'Mirko Super Kicking Boots' again, it'll be too soon."
"I've still got that 'Presentation Michael Megaphone Gag' one from last year printed up on my board at home for when I need a laugh. I know I wear some leather, but that doesn't mean a modified ball gag with a megaphone built into it fits my aesthetics."
Majima's sudden groan draws more attention as he says, "Speak of the devil. This is..." before pausing. His eyes sharpen, lips moving silently while his hands shift as if manipulating an invisible object. A curious tension builds as more and more of the teachers pause what they're doing to watch him examine whatever blueprint this is. "This is insane." he says, swallowing nervously, "Absurd, but actually theoretically functional. Please let them be a normal genius..."
The man's quiet prayers would remain unanswered.
The mild underlying anxiety of waiting for his U.A. acceptance or rejection letter tints the otherwise wonderful week as he nearly floats through his day to day dealings, buoyed on the high of having a girlfriend. With school out, he can accommodate her schedule more, meaning more time to see each other or workout together or even just go down to the little coffee shop by her agency on a date.
Two days after the exam, he got a chain of texts from Mei, all but demanding to know everything from what kind of support gear he wanted, to his measurements, to his aesthetic preferences when it comes to colour, shape and focus. What followed was a two and a half hour mix of texts and calls as the two bounced ideas, went off on Hero based tangents and even got into a heated debate over ease of use vs effectiveness in capture type gear.
He doesn't hear from her again till almost a week later when his phone starts beeping like mad at eight in the morning. Scrolling up past message after message of Mei techno-babble, he reaches the top of the new messages and almost drops his phone in surprise. 'I got in, top of the class in practical. My babies are the best after all.' her message reads, and with his pulse racing in excitement, he tosses his phone on his bed before running out to the mailbox.
Alongside the usual fare, a large manila envelope stamped with the U.A. logo sits in their mailbox, being snatched up immediately. Bringing it all inside, the normal mail is tossed on the kitchen table haphazardly, while he rushes to his desk. His butt barely touches his seat before he's popped the top open, a stack of papers being pulled from within. The top document, stamped with the seal of U.A. is devoured by his eyes, though it takes mere seconds before he whoops with joy, exclaiming, "I made it in! I'm going to U.A.!"
Grabbing his phone, he's about to call his girlfriend when he remembers the time and her schedule, instead opting to send a text with the news. Switching over to Mei, he sends her the news, a reply coming in almost immediately in the form of a phone call.
"Nice work Greenie, I knew you'd get in. Nothing less than the best from my future baby making partner." The girl's excited voice blares from his phone over the sound of hammering in her background. "So I've been thinking, you need to figure out what kind of weapon you want to use. Protection is good and all, but you need something to take down bad guys. Something that screams "Midoriya Izuku, made by Hatsume Industries."
Unable to stop a snorting giggle, Izuku replies, "I guess you're right Mei, I'd want to get it early so I can start training." Flipping open his own personal notebook, he glances over page after page of weapon ideas. From traditional ones like staves and swords, to oddities like pneumatic fists, net guns and shock cannons. Turning back a few pages, he looks over his costume designs, ranging from sleek lightweight suits like many current heroes, all the way up to walking fortress armours. Alongside many of the designs are shields, from small bucklers to hold off weapons and similar quirks, to massive tower shields he can cover others with.
"...Actually that's a pretty good idea."
"What's that brain of yours thinking, Greenie?" Mei asks, giving him a jolt as he almost forgot she was on the line.
"I was thinking about a double layer shield where the second layer can shift to make it extra wide. Something to let me protect other people from stray attacks. I guess that means the weapon would have to be one handed..."
"Grounding spikes on the shield!" Mei exclaims, "Pneumatic spikes at the bottom that can flip down and stab into the ground, letting the shield support itself as cover, and letting you use bigger weapons."
"It might be hard but..." Izuku murmurs as his pencil dances across an open part of the page, conceptualizing the idea, "It depends on what kind of materials we can use. If we keep it light but sturdy enough it shouldn't be an issue. That means I'm probably going to want a mainly one-handed weapon."
"One handed, hmn... I'm thinking... Laser Sword!" Mei exclaims after some brief thought.
"Isn't that way too unstable, deadly and also mostly impossible without an appropriate quirk?"
"Arm mounted multi-cannon? You can shoot projectiles, shockwaves or even energy blasts with ease, and it'll work great with your shield providing cover."
"Wouldn't that completely obstruct my free hand while I have the shield on?"
On the other side of the phone, Mei lets out a harrumph, "So, mostly one-handed, but can still let you use that hand, can't be deadly and doesn't need quirk support?"
"I want it to mostly aid in capture, but it will still need to be able to help take down powerful villains too."
The line goes quiet, before an almost cackling laugh comes through. "You're really not making this easy on me, are you, Greenie? But then, the best babies are hard to make. Give me a few days and I'll have some ideas for you to check out. Cya." The phone clicks as it disconnects, Izuku not even getting a chance to say goodbye.
Laying down his phone and looking back at the paper, his smile grows as excited energy builds till he jumps up from his chair. "I got in! The first real step towards being a hero, and I'm doing it."
His bedroom door bursts open, his Mom rushing in and sweeping him up in a hug, happy tears bursting forth. "I'm so proud of you Izuku! We need to invite your girlfriend over to celebrate!"
"M-mom, I..."
Releasing him, she cover her growing smile with her fingers before saying, "Oh my, right, I'm sure you and her would much rather a private celebration. Just remember, no grandkids before you graduate."
"Mooooom..." He whines as she giggles at his embarrassment.
"I'll leave you alone to talk to your girlfriend. Should I prepare the stuff for Katsudon tonight?"
His excited nodding gives her a silent chuckle before he pauses then asks, "I'm not talking with her, but... could we have something with peaches for desert?"
"Peaches?" She questions briefly, before smiling and tapping the side of her nose, "Sure, I can come up with something." She replies, before stepping out of his room. "I'll get started on breakfast, don't take too long."
The familiar door of the Midoriya household stands before her, sounding off as her knuckles rap against it. Hurried footsteps are heard from the other side before it swings open, her boyfriend pulling her into a hug while exclaiming, "I got in!" His lips meet hers before she can get a word in and she's whisked into the building with a spin before being set down again.
"I knew you would." She replies, initiating the kiss this time and putting some tongue into it. The surprise lets her grab control and push deeper, beginning to play with his nervous tongue using her own.
A soft giggle from the third person in the house breaks the two apart, leaving Izuku flushed and panting while she licks her lips and looks over to Inko. "Oh, don't let me interrupt you two, I'm just reminded of my own teen years with Hisashi." Inko says with a smile and a shooing wave before slipping back into the kitchen. "Ah, youth."
Giving him a second, far chaster kiss, Yu steps back from the embrace and sets a hand on her hip. "I'd ask how you feel about getting it, but I think I have a pretty good idea." Even as his flush fades, it's replaced by an embarrassed blush and a happy smile. "Well, I'm here to celebrate, so lets get celebrating!" Grabbing his hand, she pulls him in further, stepping back till she reaches the couch. Falling over it's arm, she pulls him with her so he lands on top of her as she lays on the sofa. So close to her, he can't resist, and presses in for another kiss.
He's pulled in tight, her arms wrapping around him as she continues the kiss and his body melts against hers. However, ever the cherry boy, or perhaps, strawberry boy as his cheeks grow red till his freckles stand out, he cannot handle this intimacy long before he rolls off the side, dropping the short distance to the ground with a thud. He's sitting up almost instantly as she turns to face him, the blush still on his cheeks as he gazes into her eyes. "Have I ever told you your eyes are beautiful?" He asks, head tilting slightly and lips pulling into a smile.
"Once or twice, and yours are just as gorgeous. Like deep green emeralds I could stare into for hours." Yu replies, retaining a smile of her own. "How do you want to celebrate? Besides Katsudon for dinner, of course."
"I don't know... I've never really had anyone but Mom to celebrate with."
"That won't do." She says, sitting up and offering him a hand, "We need to play some games, watch movies, maybe go out to a nice place nearby or something."
"There was that one beach nearby," Inko says from the kitchen, "Unfortunately people started using it as a dump a couple years ago when the tide pulled in some trash." Letting out a sad sigh, Inko taps her knife against the chopping board, "We used to love going there when you were little, Izuku."
"A beach, huh..." Yu says quietly, a small blush and a sly smile creeping onto her face as she looks at Izuku.
As if sensing the impending embarrassment, Izuku hops onto the couch next to her, turning on the TV and quickly says, "I heard there was a new monster movie released that wanted to get back to roots with practical effects and costumes. It looked a little silly from the teasers, but the reviews are good."
"I'll be the judge of that," Yu replies, shimmying over into his side.
The movie is good, all three of them enjoying it, Inko watching from the kitchen before joining once the prep work is done for dinner. The overall solid performance has a few moments where things get a little silly, adding levity to the enjoyable monster fights. The practical effects become a running game where the three try and guess if they're a quirk or mechanical in the moment, though with no way to confirm, it's mostly done for fun.
Dinner is started as the movie ends, and it doesn't take long for the smell of katsudon to fill the apartment, and following it, the sweet and cinnamon scent of peach cobbler as that's put in the oven. Neither of the two are able to resist the urge to drool a little at the scent of Inko's cooking, so while Inko cooks, they prepare the table. With everything in place the two sit and wait, seated right next to each other with hands holding the others below the table line.
Their entwined fingers only split as they offer their thanks for the meal before digging in. As usual, Inko's cooking is delicious, and come desert, Yu gobbles her serving down like a child given a treat before staring at Izuku's bowl. He doesn't even need to look to sense her gaze, and with a smile hidden from her, he stabs a fork full before holding it up to her. It's gone almost instantly, but followed with a sudden kiss as she leans over to him. Blushing and turning away, he misses her smirk as he spears more of the dessert before offering it to her again.
All the while, Inko silently eats and smiles at her dorky son and his girlfriend.
Staring at the entrance of U.A. for the second time in his life, the nervousness of the first time is overwhelmed by the excitement buzzing within him. His first day of class, one of the big steps towards becoming a hero. A map in hand, he marches in with the other students, his eyes wandering over the many cool quirks visible, but keeping his destination in the forefront of his mind. Finally, he reaches classroom 1-H, and the moment he opens the door, he spots two yellow eyes zoom in on him.
"Greenie, there you are, what took you so long?" Mei calls out, waving him over before turning back to the papers and parts all across her desk. "I've been working on the design for your support weapon, as well as a few babies of my own for the Sports Festival. We'll start prototyping once we get in the labs, it'll be great!" The moment he sits down in the desk next to her, it gets covered by blueprints as she moves them over. There's a quick scrape as her desk is shoved over next to his along with her leaning in. "So this is my third draft of the Hatsume Inc. Super Grapple Gauntlet for you, and I think I've got the core mechanics down."
"It's like Eraserhead's scarf!"
"Hobo Hero's scarf baby is a bit more basic than this, since it only does scarf stuff. Our baby will be able to not just do capture, but take on remembered forms with the shape memory alloy and hook onto extra parts to let it work as a heavier weapon."
"And it can retract to leave my hand open, as well as provide armour to that arm, since it will be made naturally tough." Izuku continues, looking over the designs with her.
"You get it, Greenie! With the extra attachments, we can probably make it work as a grapple hook, We could attach a mini air cannon to propel strands farther and faster with various heads on them. Maybe build a taser system into the lines so when they grab a villain it shocks them."
"Weight might become a bit of an issue, but if we keep the strands smallish, and the attachments not on the arm..."
"We could make it so it can attach to the shield as well, and..."
A loud clap jolts Izuku up, even as Mei keeps rambling on, Power Loader up at the front of class spotting her and sighing. "Welcome to U.A.'s Support course. I'm your homeroom teacher Majima Higari, also known as Pro Hero Power Loader. I will also be your teacher and supervisor for most Lab times..."
"Lab!" Mei suddenly exclaims, cutting off the teacher as she straightens up, "Sensei, when are we going to start inventing?"
"We will be doing orientation first with the rest of the school first," Majima says, "And after that, we will be doing a tour of the various support labs, and going over the basic safety protocols. Tomorrow morning will be doing safety testing, and then, IF you passed all the tests, the first lab work class will be in the afternoon. Should you fail, you will be studying for it during lab classes until you successfully pass the tests." Several students gulp at this, though Mei's head rolls back with a groan. "For now, you can leave your bags here, and follow me to the auditorium."
Students begin to file out while Mei tries to hunch down over her schematics till Izuku sets a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Mei, it'll be quick and then we get to check out the labs after. It's just orientation, after all, how bad could it be?"
Thirty minutes later, he would regret those words, as Nedzu prattles on and on, Mei's unhappy glare burning holes in the side of his head.
Most of the class passed the safety tests with ease, and in their first real chance to use the labs, Izuku found himself lost among the seemingly unending supply and selection of materials available. Every kind of fabric you could think of, in piles of common colours and the tools to dye it for any specific you may need. Metals, plastics, woods and more, all neatly lining shelves on the walls. Plumbing parts and mechanical components filling up bins, all neatly stowed in their own spaces. And that's not even mentioning the tools and machines.
All in all, a support student's wet dream, but for someone looking to go into Heroics, it's a little too much. With only a month or so before the Sports Festival and only so many classes in the Lab, every moment counts and unlike Mei's hyper focus, energy and efficiency, Izuku was frozen with where to start. Despite having only three core things to make, not being able to finish one, or worse, two, means whichever one he completes first must be the most important.
The first is his grapple gauntlet. The most complex of the three, but also the most useful. It will give him the power to match up to the other hero course students, to compete on the same level. With Mei's help building it, it should be easier, but at the same time, failure means both his time and Mei's was wasted in preparation for the festival. On top of that, any time spent working on this is time Mei isn't spending on her own inventions.
Second is his shield. Maybe not the most critical of the three for the sports festival, but the piece of equipment that reflects his dreams and goals. A tool, made not to attack or capture, but to protect. A tool made to save people and shield them from danger. A tool that will let him save people with a smile.
And last, his costume. A thought that didn't strike him till a few days ago when Yu showed up to her gym in costume while he was brainstorming support gear ideas while working out. The simplest and least useful of the gear, but an opportunity that others either don't get or don't care about. The Hero course students have to compete in their gym uniforms for fairness's sake, and the support students are there to show off their inventions. But for him, he can compete in a costume he made himself, show the world the Hero he could be while fighting to prove he deserves to be there.
All in all, for the often overly analytical mind of Izuku, it's all far too much as quiet words tumble from his lips as he mutters to himself. Mei blurs past to grab something, before stopping and looking at him. "Are you still back here, Greenie? I know it's wonderful, but you should start making babies at some point. Oh, are you stuck with too many ideas? Maybe you should take a walk outside, Mom always sends me to do that when I get too many ideas. Or when I'm running out of ideas." The girl pauses to tap her chin in thought, "Actually, she sent me outside a lot, now that I think of it." With her bit said, she returns to her workstation, a series of small motors already there in the process of being assembled.
Looking into his notebook and the pages and pages of thoughts and plans already there, he lets his head hang, before walking over to Power Loader. "Sensei, could I take a quick walk to clear my head?"
"That's fine, Midoriya, just don't be gone long or get lost." He replies, a smile visible under his costume's helmet.
"Thank you, Sensei." he says with a bow, before walking towards the heavy door to the lab. Despite its solid build, it opens easily, and he barely manages a step outside before he almost bumps into a taller student. "S-sorry, I didn't notice you." he says, bowing quickly as he steps back.
The student, a young lady with a black ponytail shakes her head, giving a small bow herself. "It was my fault as well; I was standing too close to the door. Are you perhaps in the support course? I was hoping to thank Midoriya Izuku, but I didn't want to disrupt the class, so if you could ask for me, I would appreciate it."
"He's, erm, I'm, uh..." Letting out a sigh, Izuku takes a breath before straightening up and making a small bow, "I'm Midoriya Izuku, it's nice to meet you and you're welcome, I guess?"
"Yaoyorozu Momo, It's a pleasure." She replies, giving a bow back, "I want to thank you for the costume designs you did for Mt Lady, as it inspired me to improve my own costume to work with my quirk without some rather embarrassing issues."
Izuku's eyes light up, and he pulls out a notebook while asking, "Oh?! If it's based on her pop off armour, that means you have a Transformation type quirk? Or maybe an emitter quirk that releases things from your body? I'd love to hear about it if you don't mind."
"Not at all. My quirk is called Creation, and it lets me create anything I know the atomic makeup and design of by using my lipids as fuel." Holding up a hand, a sparkle of multicoloured light spawns forth a simple matryoshka doll, making Izuku's eyes go wide.
Looking over his shoulder, nobody seems to have heard her from the class, and so he gestures for her to be quiet before waving for her to follow him away. "Sorry, I don't know how bad most of the class is, but my friend Mei at least really cannot learn about your quirk, Yaoyorozu."
"Ah, I should have considered that. Thank you for your concern, Midoriya, but I'm quite used to people who wish to abuse my quirk for their own ends." She says with a smile, "But back on the topic of my costume, my greatest issue was that I need exposed skin to create objects out of, or they would rip my costume or get caught inside it. Adapting Mt Lady's detachable armour..."
"...You could create protective patches that could be removed or just come free when you need to create something from that spot, letting you maintain your modesty and protection." Izuku finishes, cutting in from his excitement.
"Indeed. I found myself even more appreciative after having had class, as some of my classmates are a little..." She frowns a bit, trying to find the right words to remain tactful.
"Perverted?" Izuku helpfully suggests, his face twisting in distaste.
"I would have used a more polite word, but yes. Once again, you have my thanks, Midoriya. If you ever need assistance, feel free to give me a call." Pulling out a business card, she holds it out to him, which he accepts with another bow. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to class. Have a nice day."
"Ah, you too. Have a good day." Watching he leave for a moment, a slow smile crawls up his face before he turned to look at nothing. 'Two people, my costume designs have helped two people already.' Turning back and entering the class again, he hurries straight to his desk, pulling out drafting paper and his own personal notebook. A single glance is spared by Mei, who grins before focusing entirely on her own babies.