For someone with such good vision, Mei could sometimes—most of the time—be distracted. As she walked out of school, it materialized in her walking right past him. He had taken his hood off so she could see him, but it hadn't worked as he hoped. So here he was, walking back home side by side with his girlfriend, who had absolutely no idea he was there. It was mildly funny. He could feel from her mind that she was excited about something and was going through her mental checklist as she walked back to the station, trying her best not to let her excitement show. She was bound to work on her craft tonight, and he would have to make something that could be reheated easily. His girlfriend's quirks weren't so difficult to deal with if you paid attention.

"Excuse me, do you have the time?" he asked in a way anyone on the street would, as if they were speaking to a stranger.

Mei fumbled with her bag, still deep in thought, before she unlocked her phone. "Fifteen past six," she mumbled in answer, still unaware she was talking to him.

He had to stop himself from laughing as he smiled and decided to stop playing with her. "I still have the better butt."

Mei stumbled as she frowned and turned to look at him. Her face went through multiple expressions that matched her feelings: confusion, surprise, then elation as she jumped into his arms. "Tak!"

He caught her and squeezed her once before putting her back on the ground. "I was wondering when you would notice I was here."

Mei had a hard time letting go, so she earned a kiss for her trouble. She was happy to match him in intensity, and Takuma had to fight himself not to let it go further as he broke the kiss. "No training, you stay home from now on!"

He chuckled. "It's been a while since you woke up alone, hasn't it?"

"I hate it!" she groaned as she flopped into his arms, and he had to squeeze to keep her up. "It's not the same when you're not there."

"Yeah, well, training with Midoriya isn't something I'm a big fan of either, but it can do some good for both of us," he told her. Even if he wanted nothing more than to stop joining the bean in his training routine, he wasn't willing to back down now that he had started. Even if he hated it, hated having All Might hovering over his head, and also the sand that he somehow hadn't succeeded in getting off his clothes. "I know it's not ideal, but it's for the better."

She hummed in annoyance. "Whoever thought it would be a good idea to have you join Izu is an idiot."

"You did," he reminded her as they started walking to the station hand-in-hand.

"Past me is stupid. Don't like her," his adorable girlfriend groused with annoyance.

"My girlfriend—past, present, or future—is not dumb, and I will fight anyone who disagrees," he countered as he laid a kiss on the crown of her head.

He liked seeing her happy, and a kiss never failed to bring that part of her to the forefront.

"Wait, if you were training in the morning, why didn't you go back to the house?" Mei asked as she sent him a quizzical look.

"How do you know I didn't go back?" he asked, surprised she would notice this detail.

She shrugged. "You're covered in sand from head to toe and—" Mei cut herself off as she examined his hand and then him right after. "—blood."

Right, Mei's Zoom wasn't to be underestimated. Something to remember if he didn't want to worry her unduly. "Nothing bad, I'll explain everything when we're alone."

"Your hand," she said in a small voice as she examined it closer. "The knuckles are red, and you have a bunch of small cuts."

"Mei," he called out to her so she would look at him. "I'm going to explain everything that happened to me, but first we need to get home. It's not Hero business."

In contrast to a second ago, they walked back home in silence. Mei's enthusiasm had been snuffed, and she kept holding his hand all the while. Some fear, worry, and anxiety peeked through. She was afraid, not of him, but for him, as he had the impression she was scared he would vanish into thin air. He kept reminding her he was there by squeezing her hand from time to time and staying close to her, making sure she could feel his arm around her waist or his shoulder next to hers. It was the bare minimum he could do after putting her through this.

The door opened, and Mei dropped her bag on the table next to the door before they went to sit on the couch. The silence was awkward. In the rare moment it was, silence wasn't something Mei was fond of. Still, she sat close to him, grabbing onto him and letting some of her weight rest on him.

"So, what happened?" she asked as she looked at him for answers.

Takuma didn't have much to say, to anyone that knew the rule, that is. To someone like Mei, who knew nothing, he had to be careful not to give her information that would grab the attention of the wrong crowd.

"After training with Midoriya, I took the train back home. I wanted to see you before you went to class, but... villain attack." A small smile peeked through, and he considered it a victory. "When I arrived, the main gate was already closed, and I didn't think you'd want me to break into your school, so I opted to patrol around to see if there was anything problematic in the vicinity."

His girlfriend's knee didn't stop bouncing. Since it was next to his, he simply started to match the rhythm to help calm her down.

"You didn't have to do that," his girlfriend told him as she felt too many things at once for him to follow without peeking into her head.

"You're right, but since I was near where you spend eight hours a day and this district had a history of not being the safest, you can see why I decided to take a look around. But that's not what put me in a bunch of trouble. You remember Mousey and the whole 'Pegging' fiasco?"

Mei cringed painfully at the memory. "I do," she said as she hid her face behind her hands. "I'll never live this down."

He rolled his eyes and held her closer to him as he patted her on the head. "There, there."

She enjoyed the feeling before grabbing his hand and turning it over to examine the palm. "What happened next?"

"I found nothing worrying, so I decided to say hi to the person Mousey picked up the language from," he told her. "You remember Nova, she's an old friend I crossed paths with when I went to get paid the last time, and well, I thought I could go and say hi if there weren't too many criminals in her den."

"And tell her not to teach bad words to children," Mei reminded him without really needing to.

"That too, but when I got there, the den was under attack by a newly established gang that was throwing their weight around," he told her as he started to run his fingers through her thick locks. "Something you have to understand is that a den is the closest thing to a neutral zone for criminals. They are only run by gangs with enough prestige to maintain the peace by the simple weight of their name. A den being attacked is rare, and hardly done by anyone that isn't deep in the game. Either for turf, cash, or assets. Think of them as a way to project power."

"So it's pretty bad," his girlfriend commented.

"Yes. Normally, I would have walked away. But Nova was there, and as much of a pain in the ass as she can be, she's a friend."

"And we don't let friends down," Mei added.

"Exactly. So I rushed in and fought some very incompetent people. No Quirk or lack of training—they weren't much, even by the street's relatively low standards for criminals."

"Did...you kill someone?" Mei asked with some trepidation.

"No, I didn't," he answered honestly. "But some of them died. Nova's Quirk is deadly, and she doesn't hold back. They were dead as soon as they stepped in."

He could feel her relax as he confirmed he hadn't killed anyone. This time.

"What is going to happen to those that didn't die?"

"The den belongs to someone that I will not name, for your safety, but it's someone that very much hates men. She's probably going to make an example of the older ones, put the others to work at the lowest level until they can show her they aren't completely useless."

Mei hesitated before speaking. "What kind of example?"

Takuma sighed internally. "Castration at worst, beating at best."

Disgust and horror melded into one as he could feel Mei become ill at the thought.

"That's horrible," she said in a small voice. "How can anyone do something like that?"

"Someone that suffered a long time before she could even think to fight back, and when she won, she made sure to create a place where no one would suffer like she did, in her own misandrist and sadistic way," he told her, not willing to reveal much more about one of the big players of the underworld. "You have to keep in mind no one does anything without a reason. Even if you can't excuse the horror."

"I don't like that it happened, but it's just how it is?" she asked him, raising her sight-like iris up to look him in the eye. "It would have happened with or without you."

"It would. I knocked a few out that would probably have ended up badly burned or dead. Think of it as making the best out of a worst situation. You can't win, but you can lose less," he explained. There weren't many ways to explain the harsh reality of the street.

Life in itself was worthless.

"I'm glad you're okay," she said, giving one last look at his bruised knuckles. "And no more fighting!" she stated jokingly, which turned out to be a perfect segue to his next news.

"About that," he said slowly. "Nova asked me for a favor, and I already accepted. Sorry."

"What kind?" Mei asked tentatively, a worried frown on her features.

"Find a serial killer while a gang war is being waged right next to the murder scene?" he asked in the same tone as he braced himself for whatever his girlfriend was about to say.

"What," she stated tonelessly as she took in his words. "Takuma, please tell me you didn't say yes," she begged him as her anxiety rose far above what he ever felt from her.

It stung, not unlike Midoriya. The difference was that he could ignore it as easily as breathing, whereas the bean would leave him feeling like a pin-cushion.

"I'm sorry," he said again, not daring to look her in the eyes. "Nova's wife works near where the murder spree is taking place. Everyone is too busy to take care of it. Not the cops, not the Heroes, not the gang. I won't even have to fight, Mei. As soon as I figure out who it is, I'll leave and send a Hero after them. I promise."

"You don't know what's going to happen when you go there. Can you promise me you won't take any risks?" she asked him, with something else in mind.

"I can't...I...don't want to lie to you, Mei. It's riskier than what I usually deal with. I know how to keep myself safe, but even then, nothing is ever sure in this kind of job. I'm sorry, you shouldn't—"

"And you want to go there wearing a hoodie and hope no one notices you?" Mei asked, the first note of anger in her voice. "Trust your Quirk, and hopefully, everything will go well, right?!" she added, just a step removed from screaming in his face.

Takuma stilled. He didn't know what to say, and she was right to be angry at him. That's what he deserved. So he said nothing.

"If you are going there, you aren't wearing a hoodie, and you sure as FUCK are not going there without your costume!" she declared, poking him in the chest threateningly.

He blinked, not sure if he had heard correctly. "What?"

"I haven't been working on that baby that long for you to go into the middle of a shit fest without adequate protection!" Mei added with the same wrathful tone he didn't know how to handle. "I've got everything ready; I just need you to try the whole set so I can work out the kinks."

His girlfriend grabbed both sides of his face to force him to look at her. "You're trying your costume. Now," she ordered, and he could only nod in response.

Takuma was confused as to what was happening. Mei was angry, but she was still giving, making things for him. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He expected her to hate him, to be angry with him, to ask him to leave or worse. That was all he deserved, nothing more. She stood up, leaving to grab a change of clothes as he was left dumbfounded on what to do.

"What?"

He wasn't sure what was going on anymore. Oh, and he was hyperventilating. That wasn't good. What if she hated him? What was the point of anything if she did? Takuma couldn't handle the thought, so he peeked into her head. She told him it was okay, so he did.

She didn't hate him. The relief nearly sent him crashing to the ground, and it would have if he hadn't been seated on the couch still. He had misunderstood her anger; she didn't hate him, just the situation. He'd stumbled into Mei's protective streak, and having her angry at him wasn't something he particularly liked. Neither was the shouting. He had been yelled at by worse than his shortstack of a girlfriend, by people that actually wanted to kill him, but for some reason, it was worse when it was her.

Takuma quickly wiped the tear that had sneaked up on him as he fought to calm his breath. As Mei changed into her working clothes, he followed along, using all the time he had to recompose himself. By the time she walked back into the room, he was up and ready to follow her into the workshop.

"Do you need me to do anything?"

Mei answered by grabbing him by the hand and leading him into the warehouse. "This is the prototype for your costume. You have a pair of pants, a shirt, a breastplate, and then a jacket. The steel is the best connection can buy, and the design is my best one to date," she told him as she laid each piece out one by one. "Now put it on."

Her tone was commanding, not as suffocating as before, though, and he took a second to look at his costume. The colors were a mix of dark blue and silver. The pants were darker, as was the shirt. The breastplate had silver inlaid in the seams, and at the touch, he could feel plates of steel sewn into the cloth. The jacket was closer to the breastplate in design, with a high collar to cover his throat. It was beautiful.

Takuma took off his hoodie and shirt, revealing the chiseled chest Mei enjoyed. However, in these circumstances, Mei was all business and didn't even look. He could feel her stopping herself from asking him to go faster as she balanced herself on the balls of her feet.

The shirt was a perfect cut, too perfect for his taste, as it left nothing to the imagination. The outline of every muscle he had worked hard on for the last few months was accentuated to the point it was not much better than being naked.

"It has to be skin-tight for the breastplate to fit," Mei told him, somehow reading his mind. "I don't expect you to go anywhere without the breastplate, so don't worry about it."

Well, he could see her point. Also, he was deep in her territory, and he trusted her judgment. Putting the breastplate on was easier. The chestplate was a solid piece, while the rest was a set of interlocked pieces of metal that covered his sides and abdomen while still allowing him to move as freely as he needed. Again, he could see how she had taken into account his need for motion, even in her design.

"Before you put the jacket on, move around a bit and tell me if anything feels weird."

He did just that, twisting and moving his upper body in any way that could naturally happen. The breastplate wasn't overly heavy, allowing him to quickly get the hang of it and adjust his balance. He did a handstand for good measure before jumping back to his feet.

"Everything seems to be fitting properly," he told her.

"Good, now try on the jacket," she said while handing him the heavy piece of cloth that made her arms bulge noticeably under the strain.

The jacket was heavy, about as heavy as the entire breastplate. The difference lay in the fact the jacket's weight was situated around his neck, shoulders, and upper back. He put it on, and again he was surprised at how well it fit him and the feeling of protection it provided. It reminded him of a leather jacket, one a biker would wear, except it gave him even more layers. He pawed around the inside, finding many pockets and slots where he could place small things like knives or parts of a first-aid kit.

"It's..." Takuma started to say before failing to find the right word.

"The pants are standard combat pants most Heroes wear. I don't have the material to do what I want with it, so you'll have to wait for me to get into U.A to get it working like I want it to," she told him as she took a few seconds to appreciate her work. "It's my best work, and don't you dare go into any kind of trouble without wearing it."

Again, he focused on the protectiveness rather than the anger she felt. "I don't think I can wear something like this in the middle of the street without being taken for a Hero."

He would be arrested faster than he could make Midoriya cry, and that was saying something.

"Uh, that's why I implemented a stealth mode," she stated as her hand went into the lapel of his jacket and pulled on an unseen switch that hid every inch of silver from the jacket lining, making it look like a luxury, if a bit bland, jacket.

It was wide enough he could close it over the breastplate, hiding it completely while still making the whole outfit look good if unremarkable.

"This...is perfect, Mei," he whispered, not trusting himself to speak more. "I...This is more than I deserve, you—"

She stopped him with a finger to his lips. "If you even think of telling me you don't deserve to be safe...then I don't know what I'm going to do, but we're both going to be sorry for it," she declared with a serious expression he rarely saw on her features.

"I..."

He lowered his head, not daring to look her in the eye. Ashamed. Because if this costume was one thing, it was too good for someone like him. He saw Mei's boots as she closed in on him and her finger landed under his chin, guiding his head up so he could do nothing but look her in the eyes.

"You earned this. You earned it when you saved me and everyone else all those months ago. Now let me keep you safe. Please," she pleaded, worry and love oozing out of her thoughts.

"I don't deserve you."

"You do. You just don't know it yet," she countered right before her lips crashed against his own. They stayed like that for a moment that felt like an eternity, yet too short for his taste. "And don't you dare get hurt again."

"I will try my best," he replied honestly.

I'm slowly pushing forward with the story, longer chapter in general. Editing is taking a backseat until I've rebuilt a comfortable advance. That's all for now, hopefully everything will go well for ma boy !