The sound of metal tearing and being crushed under Izu's grip was music to her ears. "Keep at it, Izu! Go to the next one, give it a good punch!"
"On it!" her best friend replied as he followed her instruction.
The computer was alight with every piece of data she could garner from the many sensors attached to his body. Biocurrent, tensile strength, weight, and so much more information were sent to the old tester her mother had once used to ensure her old suits were in working condition. It had only taken her some fiddling to make it work on a human.
"The leap in strength is already important from a single percent," Gran Torino said next to Mei, looking over the data with her. "We will need to modify your diet to compensate for the quantity of calories you are burning."
All Might, who Mei believed had turned into his heroic form from sheer excitement, nodded vigorously. "Indeed, it will take some time to get used to the amount of food you need to eat to keep your energy up, even more than what you were already used to. I will have food made for heroes with caloric-intensive Quirks delivered to your house as soon as I can."
"Thank you, All Might," Izu said, right as he threw a single-percent punch toward the faceplate of her killer robot.
The crunch of metal bending in place made her shiver in excitement. "I've got the data!" she told everyone around the room. "So far, with all the tests we did, we have a difference in strength ranging from ten to fifteen kilos across the board."
"From a single percent?" her best friend asked in disbelief.
"Yes!" she confirmed with a smile that somehow couldn't leave her lips. "You have a strong Quirk, so much so that I don't think your bones will be able to handle all of it for a while!"
Seeing Izuku look at his hand, covered with the green electricity that was synonymous with his Quirk, she couldn't help but be happy for him. His Quirk being so apparently strong was just the cherry on top.
"It was always a risk," the old guy remarked. "Yagi took to his like a fish to water, but he had easily sixty kilos of muscle over Midoriya when he awakened his."
"And mine was weaker than his," All Might added. "If a single percent makes such a difference, then young Midoriya has more than the capability to surpass me in every way."
"Izu, will you remember me when you become the next Symbol of Peace?" Mei teased with a sad pout.
"Of course!" her best friend replied without missing a beat.
That made her smile, even if she already knew Izu was as likely to forget her as Takuma was to refuse to cuddle. Speaking of her cuddly kitten, she looked around to find where he had decided to hide while she was working. She saw him nowhere. As close as they were, Takuma needed his alone time. And she... tried to respect that as much as she could. Her heart dropped in her chest as she looked at the time and the notification on her phone. Her alarm, the one she had set five minutes after leaving the house to make sure to check on him after he had time to breathe, had rung an hour ago. "Where's Takuma?" she asked, with a hint of panic slipping through her words.
"I thought he was with us," All Might said as he looked around, as did the old guy and Izu.
"He never came to the workshop," Mei realized as she jumped to her feet and ran back to the house.
She felt only the wind as both Pros materialized in front of the door and entered the house. She was right behind them. Takuma was in his seat, face down on the table, his arms cushioning his head like a pillow, wet from the water he had spilled as he fell asleep.
"Stay away," she ordered as the two heroes stilled. "Don't go any closer; you'll only hurt him if you do."
She walked in closer, and as she did, she noticed the gentle breathing that immediately made her sigh in relief. "Takuma?"
He barely moved.
"What happened?" Izu asked as he entered the room last, after taking off the many sensors she had strapped onto him. "Is he okay?"
"He is," she confirmed as she grabbed a rag and started cleaning the spill. She couldn't stomach letting him sleep wet like that. "His Quirk makes it hard for him to function. Using it like he did earlier must have exhausted him more than I thought."
She laid a hand on his back. As always, he tensed, then slowly relaxed as he recognized her. Takuma was always tense. It was something she realized when they started sharing a bed; he never relaxed entirely, not even in his sleep. Unless she was close, only then did he allow himself to relax. She had given up her nightly baby-making just to help him sleep better.
"It might be better if we move—" All Might started to say. Mei knew he hoped to be helpful.
Yet it had the opposite effect. Before she could react, Takuma flinched away from where All Might was coming, which unbalanced him. "Stay away!" she snapped with some heat as she caught her boyfriend's sleeping form during its slow tumble to the ground, cushioning it as best she could. "Do NOT come closer!"
He ended up halfway on his side, halfway on her, his arm wrapped around her midsection as if he was afraid she would disappear. She felt the shaking—his hands, arm, and shoulder. She hated seeing it, as it always meant he was having a bad time.
"Ms. Hatsume, could you tell us what is happening?" All Might asked as he took a few steps back.
"Takuma's Quirk never turns off, even when he sleeps," she told them, unsure if he would be happy with her sharing his weakness. "You risk hurting him just by being near."
"Even when he sleeps?" Izu whispered, as he sometimes did when he learned something he hadn't considered. "What's his limit when he's asleep?"
Mei pondered the question. She still remembered how he had looked at her when she had mistakenly shared more about his Quirk than he was comfortable with. The hurt and disappointment still haunted her, even after he had made it clear he wasn't angry with her. She never wanted to hurt him like that again.
"Ten," she revealed, hoping this wasn't crossing a line. "Above that, he can't handle the pain, and he wakes up." She lied since she'd never seen him suffer from that part of his Quirk and didn't know how it manifested.
She had to keep an eye on their reactions. Since she wasn't used to reading people, it was an active task she had to keep in mind. Takuma made it look easy, but to her, it was something she had to work at. Even so, she missed things that were obvious to others but not to her. The old guy was surprised and concerned, All Might looked upset, gazing at Takuma with an expression of pity that her boyfriend hated, and Izu was deep in a mumbling storm she didn't care enough to follow.
"Ms. Hatsume, you've rendered a huge service to Midoriya and ourselves with your help and Takuma's as well," the old guy in the yellow jumpsuit and oversized boots began. "Feel free to ignore my question if you wish, but... did Takuma ever talk about his past?"
Now that was expected, she chuckled internally as she started to play with her boyfriend's hair. He always loved it when she did that.
"He did," Mei replied, turning her head to stare at the old man.
It wasn't much of a surprise to her that one of the Pros would try to learn more about Takuma through her. If she was honest, she had expected it to happen sooner. There were many ways she could play her hand—denying it outright would only make them more curious.
"Did he ever mention his time at the orphanage?" All Might asked. Mei focused back on Takuma's sleeping face, giving herself time to think.
He calls me adorable, but he certainly hasn't seen himself in the mirror, she thought, rubbing her thumb against his cheek, something he often did to her, which she loved.
"He did. What did he tell you about it?" she questioned, fishing for what they knew.
"Nothing," All Might sighed with some frustration. "But we believe the orphanage he came from was attacked by a villain. After that attack, we have no idea what happened to him."
Mei felt her heart break all over again. It makes sense that Takuma's traumatic Quirk awakening would be mistaken for a villain attack, she thought, recalling how horrifyingly upset he had been when recounting the event. What would he want? she asked herself.
"He told me he once woke up inside a torn-down house," she said, glancing at the old guy—Gran Torino—until he nodded. "Let's just say those who did that never quite managed to finish the job."
Izuku's jaw opened and closed aimlessly as he looked over at Takuma. All Might clenched his fists, and Gran Torino stared darkly at the floor.
"He told me he had a lot of 'side quests,'" Izuku said as his Quirk danced across his skin. Mei found it beautiful. "He hasn't told me much about his past, nothing concrete."
"He hasn't told me everything either, and when he does, he makes sure not to give me any names or details that could lead me to those after him," she revealed. Takuma kept everything close to his chest. The more she learned about his past, the more she wanted to do something about it.
"He's still being hunted," Gran Torino stated, and Mei's mouth clicked shut with her teeth.
She winced. She'd just made a mistake. The look of hurt on Takuma's face replayed in her mind. She dearly hoped he would forgive her.
"I shouldn't have said that," Mei sighed as she bent down to kiss her sleeping boyfriend on the crown of his head.
"Ms. Hatsume, we can help you. We can help him," All Might declared, stepping closer than she liked. "If you tell us more, we can act and protect him—and you."
It was so easy to say yes, yet she didn't. Because, though he had never said it out loud, she knew heroes were among the people who had hurt Takuma in the past.
"He hates you, you know," Mei let out, watching the shock on the Number One Hero's face. "I don't know why, but every time he sees you, he gets angry. Sad. Do you know why?"
All Might, the man she once idolized, looked so small even in his buff form as he answered her question.
"No," the man said, defeat in his tone.
"If he won't come to you for help, then I won't either," Mei told them, noticing the heavy sense of failure oozing from the three heroes or future hero in the room. "You'll have to wait for him to be ready."
"Do you know when he'll wake up?" Izuku asked, his voice full of concern.
"No. Ever since he went after that serial killer, his Quirk has been harder on him," she revealed, hoping this wasn't too much. "He hasn't fully recovered. Every time he uses it, it takes him longer to bounce back."
"Every time he opens up to others, he just gets hurt again," Izuku sighed. "I've been talking to Nedzu about Takuma's Quirk to find a way to help him."
Takuma would hate knowing that. Mei winced at the thought. "Do you have anything?"
Izuku looked away. "Nothing that doesn't cost half of I-Island."
She chuckled humorlessly. "So there's a chance. That's more than I expected."
There were things money couldn't buy. The latest technology in Quirk research wasn't something she could get her hands on without a mountain of paperwork and national clearance—something only U.A. could provide.
"Sorry, Izu, but we'll have to test your Quirk another day," she finally said as she glanced at the three men. "You're hurting him by being here while he's asleep. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"Of course, Ms. Hatsume," All Might said with great frustration. "If there's anything we can do for you, don't hesitate to call."
"Send me a message when he wakes up," Izuku asked. "I'll feel better knowing he's okay."
Gran Torino sighed, rubbing his face. "Thank you for your help, Ms. Hatsume. And please, take care of him. I know Nana would be glad to know he has someone like you by his side."
Mei nodded, unsure how to react. "Thanks?"
The elder guffawed as he walked toward the door. "Come on, you oaf. Leave him to rest. He's in good hands."
"See you later, Mei," Izuku said as he followed Gran Torino to the door.
"Young Hatsume..." All Might began, "thank you for everything you've done—for both of them."
"It's nothing," she replied quickly, a bit stiffly. "Those two are worth it."
All Might smiled. "That they are. Good day."
The door closed behind them, leaving Mei alone with her sleeping boyfriend. "How dare you leave me with them," she joked, booping Takuma on the nose.
"M'sorry."
Mei blinked, startled. "Since when were you awake, young man?" she demanded, a smile forming on her lips.
"D'no. Fell?" her cuddlebug of a boyfriend replied, unbelievably cute in the process.
"You're not mad?" she asked, anxiety rising.
"M'no. You did good," he said, immediately soothing her fears.
She exhaled, relieved not to have crossed a line. "We could move to the bed, you know."
"Comfy," he replied, hugging her tighter for a second.
Mei smiled harder and resumed playing with his hair as he melted against her. "You're such a cat," she giggled. "We still have to move at some point."
"Nah," he said simply.
"Take your time," she told him as he relaxed again.
She loved being close to him—her brave, tired, kind, and sometimes cruel boyfriend. Takuma didn't know, but she had recently finished one of her secret projects. Her autocannon had been rebuilt and was ready to punch through heroes and villains alike if they ever came knocking. There were many other projects he didn't know about.
Because she didn't know who or what was hunting the love of her life. But when it came, she would be ready. And as for the others still hiding, biding their time for a moment of weakness—well, Mei had always been good with explosives, and a drone cheaply made with untraceable part wasn't so hard to make.
She was ready to keep him safe, whatever he cost.
And here is it, the first P.O.V from Mei. One of many to come as I started to expand on other character perception. The story will still mainly be from Takuma P.O.V.