After arguing for the entire afternoon, it was finally time for Midoriya to take the road back home, while he and Mei grabbed the last train toward the scrapyard he could now call home. Takuma didn't grin like a madman like the two hero fanatics—because there wasn't a better word for it—but he found himself smiling as they parted ways with the bean. He had barely spoken two sentences after the whole notebook debacle, only joining in once or twice to back up Mei as was his duty as her boyfriend. The fact that he didn't know what or who they were talking about didn't seem to register with the two dorks in the middle of their good-natured spat. Both had different perspectives on heroes, which clashed at nearly every turn. Midoriya had a somewhat encyclopedic knowledge that he didn't hesitate to use to argue his point, while his girlfriend used her knowledge of engineering and hero-adjacent support items to plead her case and beat down the bean with mathematical equations and numbers. Both had very different styles, and he couldn't help but love that Mei's tactic in an argument was to bring the other down to her level and beat them over the head with numbers and statistics. And she still hated mathematics with a passion.

The only downside of the day was perhaps Takuma's lack of anything interesting to say or even the ability to participate since his knowledge of heroes began and ended with who he had seen work, who he knew he could trust, and the few he would dig a shallow grave for someday. Though he couldn't say the day hadn't been entertaining, even as they walked to the train station. Mei was grinning like a loon, bouncing and skipping around him with a burst of energy that didn't seem to run out for the entire way home. For some reason, this also involved some climbing—on him mostly—as she hung from his shoulder, sat on his lap, and everything in between. She was happy to the point she didn't know what to do with herself.

'I'm betting Midoriya is doing the same thing.'

Maybe not as much, but those two were birds of a feather in more ways than one.

At some point during the walk between the train station and the house, Mei made the mistake of getting within arm's reach, allowing Takuma to grab her and put her into a princess carry, something he'd jokingly threatened her with the third time she climbed up on him.

"Gotcha," he teased her as he held her closer than before.

"I demand freedom!" she mock-shouted as she tried and failed to free herself from his grasp. "I cannot be contained!"

"Woe is you," he drawled with a fond smile. "Maybe I should add tickling to the punishment. What does the accused think of that?"

Her heart skipped a beat as she realized how vulnerable she truly was. "Mercy?"

He chuckled with a sadistic smile. "I think not," he said, dropping his voice an octave for effect. He didn't expect his words to turn into a growl halfway through.

Mei inhaled sharply. He didn't need his Quirk to understand this did something to her. This wasn't what he had intended, but it was something that was bound to happen sooner or later. Might as well take charge.

He landed a kiss on her temple. "I think someone very much liked what she just heard."

Called out, his girlfriend reacted as expected. "Yes! No... I mean... great-good. Yes?"

He laughed and didn't hesitate to lavish her with kisses until she was red in the face. "I hope so. I very much like having you close to me," he told her honestly. "And I would love having you much closer even."

She didn't miss the offer. As he pushed the door open, his little gremlin was having an existential crisis as she debated what to do. He was more than happy to give her all the time in the world. If there was anything he hated the most, it was being pressured into sex. He wouldn't do that to her and made it pretty clear by going into the kitchen and starting to grab a few utensils with Mei still in his arms.

Yet she stopped him, bringing him into a kiss he barely had time to detect. It was quick and needy as her hands started to feel his shoulders. "Let's do it."

He kissed her around the mouth twice. "Are you sure?"

She nodded without hesitation. If he had felt even a hint of doubt, they would have stopped right there.

But since he didn't, he let go of what he had in his hand and brought her to the bedroom. This is where he realized he had made a small mistake. "Mei, we aren't having sex tonight."

She perked up in his arms. "We... we aren't?" she said with some confusion.

He winced. "Sorry, I should have been more clear."

She tilted her head to the side as she sometimes did. "Then, what are we about to do?"

He threw her gently on the bed. She landed with a bounce, taken by surprise. She watched him with wide eyes as he moved on top of her. Straddling her legs and with one hand against the wall just above her head, he used his remaining hand to caress her face and bring her into a kiss that lasted for a short second. "Tonight, I'm going to show my gremlin a good time," he stated with what he hoped was some fire in his voice as he desperately focused on Mei, wanting to distract himself.

Her breath was growing heavier by the second, and he didn't press her, letting the moment pass without forging ahead. "How?" she asked as he grabbed her hand and laid it against his abs under his shirt.

"It's only fair, don't you think?"

Her attention was immediately turned to the firm wall of his abdomen. Mei had a thing for muscle, and he knew this was bound to make her very happy. The fact that he needed to flex due to the position he was in was the cherry on top as his girlfriend started feeling him up.

He could feel her intent of going higher and focused on it—this was what he needed. Even as the unease grew as Mei's hand started to dance on his skin, hungry and greedy for more. For her trouble, he tickled her side, making her giggle.

"He-Hey!" she protested weakly. "I can't do that to you—that's not fair," she complained as she tried in vain to tickle him back.

"Just because you're having a lot of fun," he chided her gently as he started to match the movement of her hand against his abdomen on hers, "doesn't mean you get to keep silent. I want to hear you. Tell me what you want."

He could feel her weakly rolling her hips as she was done feeling his abs and wanted nothing more than to keep going up. "Can I keep going?"

"You can, but be careful," he warned her between kisses on her neck. "This hand is following closely."

Now she noticed his right hand matched the movement of her own, and he felt something familiar pull into her mind as Mei's breath picked up. His mind was a thin wire pulled taut to her desire as he kept being fed the data he so desperately needed to deal with his problem.

Mei's hand rose, and his followed suit. Her skin was soft, and he could feel some muscle under the thin layer of fat as his girlfriend breathed in deep and laid both hands against his chest. She felt him, blushing madly as she did, feeling his pectorals and the—

He winced.

"Is—"

"Sensitive," he cut in quickly before he could ruin the mood.

"Oh, you mean..."

"My nipple, yes." He chuckled lightly at how hard she blushed at the mention of his nipple. "I am very sensitive. So much so that it can be downright painful. So try not to play with them too much."

"Oh, oh." She repeated dumbly, "That's hot."

He tickled her again with a grin. "So are you."

She pouted before noticing something. "Your hand."

"It's still where it has to be," he said, as his right hand had stopped right below her breast. "This isn't a place I can go without you telling me I can."

She flushed again, and he had to resist the need to kiss her until she saw stars. Her intent told him what she was about to do, yet he didn't act on it before she expressed it. It was becoming clearer by the second.

"You can... touch me there," she mumbled shyly, not daring to look him in the eye.

His hand moved from her belly to her face, where he invited her to turn her face toward him. "Where can I put my hand?"

It took her a few more seconds to gather the nerve. "On my breast."

"Do you want to guide me there?" he asked as he caressed her cheek and slowly moved his hand down. "From here, I don't know the way."

Her hand against his pec clenched, an errant nail digging into his skin as she realized what he was asking her. "Lower."

He moved his hand slightly.

"L-Lower."

He reached her neck, lowering the pressure so as not to choke her.

"Lower."

Her clavicle now, her voice was huskier by the second as she realized she had one last word to say.

"Lower."

His hand reached her breast as he gently started to massage the one on his left. They were heavy and soft. His fingers sank into it as Mei held her breath for an ultimate second before, "Ah," a moan left her mouth.

He stopped, earning him a squeaked plea from his girlfriend as she immediately missed the nice feeling. "That sound—I quite like it."

"P-Please," she pleaded with him to keep going.

Takuma wished he could. Pleasure was a feeling he knew too well. What Mei felt was more intense than he had ever experienced with any woman before. His hand on her breast made her feel good and himself through their linked minds. The pleasure that had reached him felt nice for a single second before the old sickness and disgust surfaced to bring him back down. He felt himself take a step back.

"Of course," he watched himself say as if he were watching from the other side of the room. It was an old song he had played many times in the past: smile, please, and smile again. "Tell me if anything feels wrong."

She nodded, and he started to massage her breast again. She was still wearing her bra, so he had to put a bit more strength into his massage as he felt a familiar pressure build in her core. He still had time. "Ah, this... this feels..."

She fought to say as another moan left her mouth. His girlfriend's weakness was her chest, a vulnerability he was more than happy to exploit. He squeezed her breast lightly, fishing for the sweet spot her mind was screaming at him. "Ah!"

A moan, more desperate this time, as he felt the need in her. She wanted him to touch her. He was more than happy to oblige. He slid one leg between hers. "Mei, do you want to feel even better?"

His voice felt wrong and hollow to his ear, but Mei didn't notice the difference as she nodded frantically. "Yes!"

"You'll have to work hard for it, slow and steady remember," he reminded her, right as he pushed his knee against her crotch. "Have fun."

Her hips moved, and as soon as she felt the first hint of pleasure, she repeated the movement, humping his leg slowly at first, then quicker by the second as he slowly massaged her breast. It was the same as every other time. Soon she would be done, and he would be allowed to stop. In the throes of passion, Takuma was an island of calm and placidity. Yet something was going on, something new, something... he was doing?

Right, he was working on something. Was he close? No. Yes. Whatever it was, he could almost feel it in its entirety. Mei, the bundle of nervousness and desire that she was, was rapidly closing in on her orgasm, and he wondered if it would stay after her release. So he made a grab for it. Takuma realized what it was—something he desperately wanted. Perspective.

Something he could reach out to with difficulty. The same perspective he had trained to a razor edge to help him fight was now offering itself to him for another task entirely.

How Mei saw and felt. To her, what was happening was new and exciting. To him, it was tiring and terrifying. Takuma didn't want to feel that way. He didn't want to feel wrong when the person who meant more to him than life was trusting him with everything. So he allowed her perspective to overwrite his own. Only for a time. It would do, until he was fixed.

So he did.

"Ta-Tak!"

Right as the orgasm ripped through her, he grunted as her pleasure invaded his senses. No, not his senses—he was just seeing things from her perspective, feeling her entire world closer than he ever dared to. And he didn't feel wrong. She twitched under him, and a moan escaped him as she wrapped her arm around his mid-section. It was like waking up from a dream. He was back, her breast in his hand, his leg against her crotch as she reached the end of her orgasm her face buried in the crook of his neck to drown the sound of her groan and moan. Winded, with a small bead of sweat on her forehead, she looked back at him, fighting back the haze as best she could. He squeezed her breast just enough to reach her sweet spot. "Ta—"

He kissed her before she could speak. He could enjoy how she felt in his hand; he could enjoy being so close to her. He didn't watch himself touch her; he did. He didn't see himself doing the things he was doing; he did them. Mei was so close to him he wanted nothing more than to push. This was great, this was nice, this was... safe. She felt safe, and so did he. It was a nice feeling.

Mei was spent; he knew that. Doing anything else tonight would be pushing it. He backed away from the kiss, still taking the time to pepper her with kisses as if they were going out of style.

She giggled nicely under him. "Stahp it," she demanded weakly. Her heart wasn't in it, but he followed her command anyway.

"I hope you had fun."

She nodded shyly with a satisfied smile. "I knew it was supposed to feel good; I just didn't know how much. Wow."

"This tends to happen when your breasts are your favorite spot," he informed her, giving a small squeeze far lighter than anything he did previously that tore a moan out of her. "Something to keep in mind for next time."

To his surprise, Mei frowned. Following where her mind went, he was surprised to feel a small amount of guilt. "But what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you didn't..." She stumbled on the word for a moment. "Cum."

"Mei, you need to remember I can feel everything you do."

The reminder had the expected effect. "You mean..."

"I felt every single thing you did," he whispered in her ear, low and slow, making her shiver. "To the last little detail."

"So you..."

"Came, at the same time as you," he informed her, which made her guilt evaporate. "Though I have to say, this is the closest to sex with feelings I've ever had, and it's definitely something else."

"How so?" she asked as Takuma let himself fall on his side, pulling her into his arms.

"You love me." The firm nod she gave him was unneeded but appreciated all the same. "It's easier to please you when you feel strongly about me. It also makes me feel what you're going through that much more sharply."

Mei hummed lightly. "This is a good thing, right?"

"It is."

"Good, because I'm staking my claim," she stated as she pulled herself on top of him. "Mine!"

It was her turn to pepper him with kisses, making sure not a single inch of his face was left untouched. "I have been thoroughly claimed," he commented the second she was done.

"Good, because I'm wet down there and I need a shower," Mei informed him. He was very aware of how wet she had been and still was. "Want to join me?"

Her offer was not entirely genuine as she was still reeling from her discovery. "Go without me. Maybe next time."

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. A minute later, he heard the water running, and he focused his attention toward the newly awakened link he had just created. From intent to kiss to perspective. It was a noticeable jump in information. He had overwritten his feelings, replacing them with Mei's own. It had worked; he was still connected to her.

'Alright, this is new,' he thought as he felt around the stream of experience he had used to erase his own. 'I wonder what would happen if I cut the link.'

The second he did, he was assaulted by a wave of nausea. His breath felt hollow in his chest; the more he inhaled, the more he felt like he was drowning. His hands were shaki—

He connected his mind to Mei and changed his perspective again. He/She was a bit tired, but in a good way. This had been a rush he/she hadn't seen coming, and he/she would've been lying if he/she said he/she didn't want more.

'Too much. Let's not become a second Mei.'

He didn't need to go so deep. He needed... just enough to not feel like he was dying. He took a step back from her mind, slowly pulling back into his own until the only part of hers he was linked to was the one necessary for him to function. That way, he could keep going until he found a way to not be scared again, to not feel wrong at every turn even when it was something he wanted. He could only hope it would fix him in time.

The rush of sensation had left Mei KO'd. When he came back from his shower, she was snoozing soundly on the bed with one of the oversized shirts she wore every night. After covering her with a blanket, he left to make dinner. It was a quick thing as he heated up some leftovers from the week of crafting they'd both been through. He'd forgotten some meals, which meant Mei had too. Rice and fish would do. Some spice to add some flavor, and it would be good enough for the night. When he was done, Takuma took a second to make sure everything was right before going back to the bedroom to wake Mei.

And so he started the terrifyingly dangerous work by poking her in the cheek with a finger as he kneeled next to the bed. "Mei, wake up."

She frowned and turned away from his poking finger, turning her back to him. He needed to bring the big guns. Wrapping his arm around her, he laid a barrage of kisses on her cheek until she had no choice but to wake up.

"Ah!" she shouted in surprise as she realized what he was doing and also realized he held her in just a way that stopped her from being able to put up any resistance against his assault on her cheek. "This is just not fair."

"I have a feeling you're going to say that a lot from now on," he chuckled, laying one last kiss on her lips before letting her go. "Food is ready."

"Yeah!" she shouted as she held both arms out to him. "Carry me!"

He shook his head and complied, grabbing her in a princess carry and bringing her to the kitchen. "My girlfriend is a lazy slob. Whatever shall I do?"

"Hey!" she complained good-naturedly. "I am exhausted in body and spirit from your..."

Her voice died in her throat as she was about to brush the subject of what happened an hour ago. With a blush that made her even more beautiful, she did everything she could not to look at him. "Mei~" he singsonged, eating up her embarrassment. "I think a little gremlin of mine had a very good time."

She didn't deny it, only hiding her face in the crook of his neck. "You don't have to say it," she complained, hitting his shoulder lightly with her fist.

"I kind of need to," he countered lightly, laying down on her chair. "How am I going to know how you feel after if you don't tell me what was right or wrong?"

"Right, everywhere, top notch," she commented in rapid-fire.

"Good to know, even if it's not really what I'm looking for," he agreed easily before turning the conversation to what he desperately needed to hear. "Did I hurt you? Are you okay?"

Her eyes grew wide. She hadn't seen the question coming, and he couldn't blame her. The extent of his knowledge around pillow talk revolved around ignoring the other person until morning and leaving as soon as the sun showed up. He wasn't used to being with someone he actually cared about and ensuring everything was right after the sex part, even if they hadn't gone all the way yet.

"No. Yes." She was quick and firm in her answer. She was still flushed with embarrassment, but she was working through it. "Is this a normal thing to ask after..."

"Cumming your brains out?" he asked innocently, to her utter dismay.

"Don-Don't say it like that!" she complained, throwing a paper towel at him.

He had to, if being crass helped ease her into the subject, he would have to.

"Am I wrong?" he teased with a knowing look that made her cheeks burn.

"No, but you don't need me to say it," she pouted, biting into her fish. "I shall have my revenge."

"Just because I felt everything you did," Mei hid her face behind her hand. "Doesn't mean I know what's going on inside your cute little head with certainty. Talk to me," he asked, grabbing her hand. "I just want you to tell me if there's anything you need to get off your chest, good or bad."

He could tell there were a few things that came to her mind, some questions he felt floating in her thoughts earlier during her shower. With her awake, his worries around sex were close to gone. Her perspective overwrote his own where he needed it to, bringing it to the height of excitement. Still, what was new was sometimes scary, and sex was a different beast no one could truly be ready for.

Still, Mei had questions, and he was going to answer them to the best of his abilities.

"I... like it, what we did, it felt... good," she nearly mumbled as just these few words made her hope for a hole to open under her chair and swallow her. "I just didn't... expect you to want to do it. After that time where I tried to measure you..." She let her voice fade, not wanting to think too much on what she'd seen that time. It left a bad taste in her mouth and a mountain of fear and anxiety she didn't know how to deal with.

He could understand the feeling. The difference was that now he could get away from it, as long as she was with him.

"I have been struggling a bit," he confessed, noticing how he now had her undivided attention. "I've been struggling between what I'm used to and what you offered me ever since you opened your door to me. I..." He struggled to find the right words. "I'm not used to having someone be good to me for as long as you have been. It took me a while to get my head around the idea. I know you don't mean any harm, but just because I know you're not someone I need to be worried about doesn't mean my head got the memo."

His girlfriend hummed sadly. He didn't miss the hint of simmering anger at the edge of her thoughts. "Give me names," she stated neutrally.

"Maybe another time," he deflected, all too aware she might actually do something. "So yeah, I offered to do something because I trust you won't take advantage of me like some others have done."

This time, he recoiled internally. Stating it out loud was surprisingly hard, and he had to take a moment to digest his own words. He hadn't shared this with anyone before.

"You told me you slept with... people," she said the last word as if it made her physically ill. "Why did you start doing it?"

And how Takuma didn't want to answer that question. "It's simple, really," he sighed. The memory was a blur, but he remembered most of it. "A new gang had just formed after the last one bit the dust. One night they walked around their turf, shaking the homeless for change, mostly a show of force to show who controlled the block. It was one night like many others. I don't remember entirely why I didn't see them coming or move in time. In the end, they caught me, roughed me up, and stole what little I had. Just another night on the street. At some point, some woman saw me and offered to take me to her place. I knew what she wanted, and that night, it sounded like the least worst option in front of me, so I took it. She rode me until she was done. I raided her med-kit, patched myself up, and left before morning. There's nothing much to it."

"How... how old were you?" Mei asked. He had to raise his head, until now focused on his plate, to look at her. Her expression was stricken with horror.

"Older than twelve, that I'm sure... but after that... I don't know," he told her honestly. "That part of my life is still a blurry mess. Sometimes I even have a hard time remembering that it even happened. Anything I've been through is hard to focus on. Only since I've met you did my memory start to work better."

"Then, why?" she asked with a confused expression. "Not that I'm complaining, but... why now? It couldn't have been easy..."

"Because I want to be with someone I trust. I want it to be something good that I can look forward to. I want it to be something I enjoy with someone I love and trust. I want to have sex with you."

He couldn't tell her he couldn't keep going with the sword of Damocles that was sex hanging above his head. He wanted to, but he had to settle for close enough.

Mei was stock-still for a single second before her face landed on the table. Takuma winced at the sharp pain coming from his forehead. He noticed there was al—

"Oh boy."

"You can't do this to me," she hummed in a dejected moan. "Another pair of panties ruined. You need to take responsibility," she added with a glint in her eyes, one she only ever had when her babies were the subject of her attention.

Oh, and she'd gotten wet from his declaration. He didn't even know it was possible. Turns out he still had things to learn about women.

"Next time I will," Takuma specified. Sex was better done in steps, and he himself wasn't sure how far they could go in a single night.

Sex. No. Intimacy with feeling was weird.

"I'm going to go change. We're going to eat, and then I better receive some heavy cuddles, or I will find a way to tickle you," Mei threatened with an edge to her voice, horny and frustrated yet still more than happy to follow his lead. "Mark. My. Words."

She left, and Takuma had only one thing to say.

"Holy fucking shit, I have no clue what I am doing," he declared in the comfort of this single moment of solitude before slamming his head on the table.

If it had worked for Mei, it might work for him too.

After a light dinner, it was time to go to sleep.

"What are you doing?"

The question caught him off-guard as he slipped under the covers. "Am I doing something?"

"You're not wearing a shirt," she stated as if it was obvious, which it was in retrospect.

"I felt like taking it off. Do you want me to—"

"—nope, not necessary, not at all," she was quick to cut him off. "It's just..."

He looked her straight in the face. "It's just that you are a horny mess and you fear not being able to get your hands off little old me?"

She looked away. "No?"

"Oh dear, and here I hoped you would do just that," he said with an overdramatic sigh. Now that he was in tune with her, he felt nothing of the old fear he had bound and tied before throwing it into the deepest corner of his mind. "All that muscle and no one to appreciate it." He stretched, letting every ounce of muscle on him show. "Truly a shame."

"I can do that!" she retorted, letting herself fall on his chest, her head against his pec. "Doing it!"

Her hand went to his side, exploring him with mounting desire as she bemoaned internally the lack of light in the room. Her nightlight was the only source, and it wasn't meant for the task she had undertaken. She kissed his chest, going further down as she left a trail of kisses behind her.

Takuma let out a sigh of ease followed by a moan as his girlfriend's touch burned his skin like nothing else before.

Holy shit, this is nice.

"Having fun down there?" he asked, knowing full well she indeed was having fun.

She hummed in agreement before a Cheshire smile bloomed on her face. Then she bit into his abdomen lightly, which made something in his head misfire. "Gah!" he grunted in a barely restrained moan.

He set his eyes on his girlfriend, who wore a very sheepish look on her face. "In my defense..."

She knew it was meaningless as she tried to jump off the bed, but Takuma caught her in the air and pulled her back down on the bed. Her back turned to him, she could do nothing but flail as he tickled her without mercy. "Your defense is weak," he declared with a Machiavellian laugh taken straight from a children's cartoon.

"Ah-I won't do AhAH againAh!" she pleaded as she tried to escape his grasp desperately.

He stopped and started to nibble on her shoulder on the side of her neck. "You better not!" he demanded, tickling her one last time for good measure. "You're the only person allowed to do this to me."

He nuzzled the side of her face as he enjoyed the warmth of her body. Then she stilled in his grasp. "Something's poking me."

Indeed, something was, as his dick was firmly pressed against her butt. "That would be me," he told her as he moved his hips back. "Didn't mean to do that, sorry."

"I don't mind, it would be weird if I didn't have that effect on you," she stated with a recognizable flush to her cheek. "I didn't expect it to be this hard."

Of course, this would be her first thought. "Well, these things happen when a certain girlfriend of mine is being extra-cute."

He could tell this sudden discovery had her entire attention. He could feel her curiosity and interest as she tried to force herself to relax. She wanted more, with an edge to her thoughts. She was anxious, not knowing if she was doing enough.

Not on my watch.

He inhaled deeply, her scent of metal and oil still noticeable even after a shower. "Thank you."

This put a wrench in her thoughts as she tilted her head toward him. "What for?"

"Being you?" he answered, not too sure of where he was going. "I'm just... happy I met you."

She turned to face him directly and kissed him with a passion a thousand suns couldn't even begin to match. "Mine."

He laughed at her antics and pulled the sheet that had gotten lost in the scuffle over them. "Do you have something in mind for tomorrow?"

"You," she stated without a hint of shame.

He smiled at her. "We'll see how it goes."

Terrible Fucking Coping Mechanism is a tag. Because overwriting your own emotion isn't the best method to deal with...anything really. My boy is scared...I'm sure this isn't going to come back to bite him in the ass...I'm sure.