He was aware, but not awake. In a kind of self-imposed limbo, he didn't know the origin of. There was nothing there, no shape, no thought, no emotion. The pain was still there, close, closer than it had been when he had felt it. It had looped in on itself, something he had experienced before and could have dealt with if the feeling had not been repeated by the seven other minds feeling the same pain. Now that he was able to see it clearly, it wasn't as bad. He could understand it and push it from his thoughts behind the mental wall he had spent a lifetime building. Only after doing that did he wake up.
He didn't know if he gaslit himself into this state of mind or if it was an effect of his Quirk, but anyway, he was thankful for it. Now, however, it wasn't the time to think on what had just happened and deal with his surroundings because one thing was sure: he wasn't on the beach anymore.
There were fewer people around than before, surprisingly enough. In the hundred-meter or so range of his Quirk, he counted barely four people. Mei, the person with the—
"Oh, no," he realized with a disgusting amount of dread. "It's All Might."
The other two he recognized easily. The ball of anxiety and fear was Izuku Midoriya, and the last one was the geriatric Hero Recovery Girl. Straining his ear, he could hear a sound, playing with the rhythm of his heartbeat. Where could he be? He wasn't swarmed with the pain of hundreds of people, which meant he wasn't in a hospital. U.A. The thought made him want to scream. He could imagine Mei relaying his inability to go to a hospital, which would lead an ignorant Hero to bring him to the second best place to receive help. So he was inside the walls of U.A, where Pro-Heroes were a common sight, and his arrest was all but assured. Takuma didn't know how he could turn this around, but he hoped his acting skills hadn't rusted too much since the last time he had a use for them.
He focused on his surroundings. He wasn't alone in the room; Recovery Girl and All Might were with him. Midoriya and Mei were closer than the two heroes, barely a few meters away from him. He hated how terrified his girlfriend was, but he needed to keep the larger picture in mind. Midoriya was with her; his attempts at reassuring her were falling on deaf ears as her sight was locked on him, playing possum in this situation was a given and hastened his search for any and all arguments or weapons he could use against the two Heroes. Whatever form their discussion would take, he couldn't afford to be defenseless against two veterans.
He wouldn't quite peer into their minds, but he was going to take a good look at what they were sending his way. All Might was a mess, he realized that as soon as he lowered his mental defenses to see what was going on with the Symbol Of Peace. His emotions were reaching higher highs and lower lows than anyone in the room. His thoughts were a jumbled mess of hope and dread as something he'd just learned tore through him like a spike to the gut, or the very lack of a stomach and some of his lungs that had sent Takuma into a fit, either or.
Whatever was going on with the number one hero could be used to get him out of his mess. He wouldn't peer into his mind directly, but it didn't mean he wouldn't use all the tools at his disposal. There was something going on, and if he could bait some information out of the blonde, then it would probably turn out better for him if he could use it well.
Sadly, Recovery Girl didn't give him much to work with. She was a professional doing her job, and she had little to no stake in the situation outside of his well-being, which was nice to know.
Lastly, Izuku Midoriya. He was putting on a front as he tried to distract Mei from the situation happening around him. He had close to no idea what was going on, but he still trudged forward even if he fumbled at saying the right words to appease his upset girlfriend. He owed him one, for Mei's sake at the very least. Otherwise, he was exhausted from a day's work, and his goal of working out didn't leave much to the imagination as to why he was doing it. Midoriya was still the heir to One For All, at least he had found the answer he had come seeking.
There wasn't much more he could glean out of an errant thought, so he would need to improvise on the fly with the too few pieces of information he had. Not great, but he had worse odds in the past, and he was still breathing, so it couldn't be too bad. Also, he could feel the prickling pain of an I.V. drip on the back of his left hand. Takuma despised needles with a passion. He bumped his heartbeat; Recovery Girl was the first to catch on his act of waking up, and he soon opened his eyes, playing on his confusion as he rubbed a hand over his face. "Ow."
Mei didn't quite slam into him as she clamped on his arm with both of hers. "Tak!" she shouted in his ear; he didn't wince for her sake.
He blinked his eyes open, looking around, taking in the green mop of hair next to Mei. "Where am I?"
"You're in U.A.," she told him with a soothing voice. "All Might brought us here after your episode."
"Oh, All Might?" he asked, the attention of the two older heroes now fully on him. For some reason, both hesitated to come forward, meaning he had to hold onto his plan of action for the time being. "He's in a lot of pain," he added as if an afterthought.
It wasn't, not even close. As he expected, everyone in the room understood what happened. He trusted Mei to keep him safe, and revealing some part of his Quirk wasn't a surprise to him. He would need to learn just how much in due time.
"Did..." Midoriya uttered with some confusion. Somehow he was the first to understand the implication. Recovery Girl and Mei followed soon after. "Oh, that's..."
For some reason, All Might was stock still with a faraway look as he seemed to be looking at something that wasn't even there.
"Wha-Where?"
His words were half-slurred, showing how exhausted he was, and he couldn't say it wasn't all an act.
"You are at the infirmary of U.A. You were brought here for a Quirk-related incident," the old woman stated with a clinical flair. "If you are willing, I would like to take a close look at you in case you hurt yourself. May I proceed?"
"No, I'm good," he said as he moved to a seated position on the hospital bed. "I'm not wounded and far from any Quirk exhaustion just yet."
He could tell the old woman wanted to press the issue, but something else, something was stopping her from acting like she normally would.
"Your condition is still worrying; rest will do you wonders," she declared as she walked up to him. "Here, have a gummy."
Takuma was handed some candy, and he looked at the colorful gummy bear like a deer at a pair of headlights barreling in its direction. "Thanks?"
The ordeal had been exhausting; she was correct. He couldn't just yet drop his guard. Now came the hard part. Looking around, he took in the faces of everyone in the room, seemingly seeing them for the first time. Instinctively, he invited Mei to take a few steps to the side. He was dealing with some dangerous individuals, and if things went to hell in a handbasket, he could at least make sure she was safe.
His actions weren't lost on anyone but Mei. Recovery Girl was projecting a safe and welcoming atmosphere while Midoriya was still scared of even breathing too loud. All Might was still stuck in his head, staring at him with eyes that saw everything but him.
"How did I get here?" he asked, his voice rough, and he had to clear his throat to stop his voice from cracking. "And who the hell are you two?" he added, looking at the boy and the doctor.
"All Might here," the old woman said before slamming her cane into the number one hero's knee. "Heard your friend here calling for help. After being informed you couldn't be brought to a hospital, he elected to bring you here where I could try to help. I am Recovery Girl, head nurse and Pro-Hero on staff."
"I-Izu-zu-ku Midoriya. I was just training when—"
Takuma raised a quizzical eyebrow, then turned toward Mei for an answer.
"All Might is training him," she informed him, stopping Midoriya in his stuttered presentation with a squeak.
"Oh," he whispered, nodding at her words. Then he looked the number one hero in the eyes for the first time. "You're in a lot of pain."
So far, the blonde hero had done nothing but stare a hole in him and gape like a fish. It was very unsettling. Recovery Girl hit him in the leg again, bringing him back to the present. This smelled like PTSD to Takuma's senses.
"Indeed, I am. An old injury that I sadly have to deal with," the number one hero said with a voice he used for his hero work. It grated on his nerves. "I am fine, do not worry."
"The number one hero has a hole in his chest. I will worry, thank you very much," he deadpanned, already done with what the hell was going on with All Might. "Nobody should be walking around in so much pain, even less the Symbol Of Peace."
"I... of course," the man barely managed to say before retreating into his own thoughts.
P.T.S.D., absolutely.
"How about you three go take a breather outside? I need to have a talk with All Might," Recovery Girl said.
Takuma was eager to get out of this place, yet his eyes fell on the I.V. in the back of his hand. Mei was quick to put her hand above it, stopping any attempt to take it out before he could even think about it. "Is this really necessary?"
"Yes," stated R.G. with a strong voice and a small glare to wrap the poisoned gift that today turned out to be. "I will take it out as soon as I can."
He wouldn't waste ammunition on something that didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, so he let it go and grabbed the pole that held the I.V. drip with him. Mei helped him up, and they walked out of the room with Midoriya in tow.
Takuma aimed for a bench in the hallway and dropped on it with the grace of a potato sack. The small reprieve before the battle was welcomed; whatever was going on with All Might would hopefully weigh the balance in his favor. A quick look around revealed two cameras at each end of the large hallway they were now in. He could feel the predatory gaze from the smartest mammal in the world behind the lens.
"Midoriya, right?" he asked, Mei sitting next to him and keeping him close in case something else happened.
"Y-Yes!" he shouted, the nerves of meeting new people getting to him. "I-huh-hope you're feeling b-better."
For some reason, he could feel him wince the more he talked, and barely two words in, he already regretted opening his mouth. 'I have my work cut out for me with him. Gotta build some confidence in that boy,' he thought, already dreading the niceties of getting the heir to One For All up and running.
Meeting him wasn't part of any of his plans—too much heat too quickly. Takuma would have preferred never even having to speak with him.
"I do," he said, for him but mostly Mei, who was next to him. "Sorry for losing my cool."
"Nah," his girlfriend denied. "You're not allowed to be sorry for feeling bad."
He let out a small chuckle. "Yes, ma'am."
She hugged him closer as he laid his head on her shoulder and took his time to breathe. "So Midoriya here is taking the upcoming exam for the hero course. You might even end up in the same class!"
"Really, what's your thing?" he asked, seemingly bored, yet far more focused on the conversation than he was willing to let on.
Immediately, the green head panicked as he searched for an excuse for his future-not-Quirklessness.
"Ah, well, you see. My Quirk didn't come in because I needed to build some muscle mass to use it, so—"
"No, not your Quirk. Nobody cares about that. What's your thing?" he asked again more forcefully. Takuma didn't care about the bullshit he had come up with All Might, and he couldn't care enough to listen to his attempt at lying, which was painful to watch for a practiced liar like him.
Also, seeding his lack of care for Quirks in general could help him use the future wonder bean to his own end. Hitting the right note to get him on his side was easy as breathing.
"Oh!" Mei understood what he was asking and was more than happy to explain. "He's asking what you can do outside of your Quirk that would make you a good hero. Did I get that right?"
"Yep, hole in one," he confirmed, kissing her cheek. It was good to have someone who could keep up with him and even leave him in the dust in some departments. "So, as she said, what makes you a hero or would be one outside of whatever you're supposed to be able to do."
As expected, Midoriya blanked like he had just been asked to explain the meaning of the universe itself. Takuma could tell he didn't expect anyone to care about who he was nor what he could do, only what he would be able to do in the near future.
'I'm going to crush Bakugou's balls for the extra work he gave me, I swear.'
"I-I study... Quirks?" he said, lacking any conviction in his words. "How they work, and I like finding new ways to implement them. I-I've been Quirkless most of my life, so thinking about it was a thought exercise at first, then it just became a habit."
'Not bad. He's putting into words his failed attempt at explaining what's going on with him while searching for any overt reaction as to his Quirkless status. I'm lucky he's not completely useless,' Takuma thought.
He was keeping a close eye on the superstar of the show, first because he was bound to be able to flip a car with his dick, and it was always a good idea to have someone like that on your side. Also, he hadn't actually planned to interact with the green bean in any substantial way, which was now in jeopardy since they had made contact and were now stuck with him in a hallway inside the compound of the greatest Heroic School in Japan. Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome was a good school of thought when nothing ever worked in your favor.
"You should tell him about your Quirk. Maybe he could find something you didn't think about?" Mei offered to his irritation. He had spent his entire life dealing with his curse, and the idea of some chucklefuck barging in and telling him how to deal with it made him want to scream. "If you're okay with it."
He sighed and nodded. "What do you know so far?"
"You have an Empathy Quirk, a powerful one at that. You can feel emotion and pain from around a hundred-meter radius," Midoriya listed, a step away from mumbling his thoughts. "It's not a very well-known subject. The few experts on the matter are in Europe, where there's a high concentration of Empathy Quirks. Japan doesn't have as many people with such Quirks. It's kind of a weird subject, really. A lot of studies are taken down before they reach the public eye."
He hummed, slightly impressed. Of course, he wasn't about to reveal the lack of study on the matter was caused by a rich businesswoman wanting more sex toys to quench her lust with. "You're correct, though you might need to add the inability to turn it off to the list of symptoms."
"Wha-What?!" the green bean froze. "What do you mean you can't turn it off?"
"My Quirk doesn't have an off button. Trust me, I've been searching for it my entire life." He chuckled sadly, trying and failing to lighten the mood.
"That's—"
"If you say impossible, I'm going to kick you."
"—must be hell."
He didn't answer, holding Mei closer to him. He didn't know what he could gain from further explanation of his Quirk. He had already earned himself enough pity points to last him a while. Also, he assumed everything he was saying was sent straight to Nedzu. A hyper-intelligent mammal would absolutely keep an eye out for what was happening inside his school, and with All Might spazzing out, he could feel the likelihood of his arrest increasing further each second.
Inside the room, Recovery Girl and All Might were talking, the number one hero back from his self-induced daydreaming about something that still eluded Takuma. There was definitely something shifty going on. Mei started petting his hair, and he relaxed for the first time. The soft touch had become something he was used to and never failed to calm him down or send him to sleep in the few cases he was exhausted enough to close his eyes.
"Have you tried the Stravinov technique?" Midoriya asked.
"To think of yourself as a whole and express your Quirk as if you are breathing," Takuma parroted the words of a Russian scientist he had heard of during one of his ethics classes. "Tried it, never did anything for me. As did The Ten Steps of Shinano and Kuberd exercises."
"You study Quirks?"
"Only as much as I needed to understand my own and deal with the ethical problems that came hand-in-hand with having the emotions of everyone around me being blasted straight into my head twenty-four seven." He shrugged as if he revealed nothing in particular. He mentioned ethics for the sake of the rat he assumed was listening. Showing a spine and strong morals would hopefully gain him some points with him.
"How do you... I guess... feel it?"
"It depends on the number of people around. There's a big difference between a few hundred and a few thousand. Imagine each single individual is a light, calling to you, wanting to be seen. Now bury them all behind an endless sea made out of teeth. You can look; it's pretty easy. But stare too long, and the sea will take out a chunk of your psyche," he explained, opting for the most dramatic way of expressing how his Quirk worked to someone else. "Each light is a unique and beautiful expression of the person it represents. Sadly, when there are too many, it gets hard to deal with. And sometimes I have a hiccup where someone's light overwhelms me for no apparent reason."
"I hate it," Mei stated with righteous anger. "I've got to find a way to turn your Quirk off."
"Maybe Quirk suppressant bands?" Midoriya offered.
"Those don't work," he denied.
"Already tried? Then how about Quirk suppressant cuffs?"
"Nah," his girlfriend denied in turn. "I've got a better chance at mimicking the effect than any of us got to obtain a pair of cuffs... legally."
"Mei, no."
"Mei, yes," she countered, only half-serious.
"You make Quirk-related items, Hatsume?"
"Yes, my babies are built to help and improve a hero's Quirk in the field. As soon as I can get my hands on some better tools, I'll find a way to turn your Quirk off, mark my words," she finished, looking straight at Takuma.
"She means her invention. Also, she's joining the Support Department," he told Izuku, who nodded dumbly. "I have no idea how you would go about doing something like that, but if it's you, I guess I just have to look forward to it."
Midoriya hummed, his brow furrowed as he kept thinking about his Quirk. "What happens when you take a closer look at one of the lights?"
"In that case, I have access to the person's emotions and feelings more directly, since normally I can only feel the surface feelings of the person. That way, I can go deeper and discover more information about them. I don't do it because... well, nobody wants some random guy searching their mind."
The bean nodded, agreeing with the feeling, with some hint of fear and discomfort, not enough to surpass the interest and desire for knowledge he had toward his Quirk, of course.
"Is that how you knew how to react during your fight?" he heard Midoriya mumble, and he narrowed his eyes at him, making the green-haired boy squeak and cover his mouth.
"So you recognized me, what gave me away?" he asked. He'd assume, for good reason, the two pros knew who he was; the boy in front of him had all but confirmed it.
He felt Mei tense next to him as she realized how bad the situation could turn. He laid a hand on her leg as a calming gesture, hoping to reassure her. She held onto him tighter, now alert.
"W-Well I-I just like to search for Quirks to analyze online, and your fight was kind of a big deal for a while. The video didn't leave me much to work with, but I spent so long working on them that I recognized you when I saw you earlier. Sorry."
The meek attitude was getting on his nerves, and the feeling of being assaulted with constant anxiety didn't help. Turned out Midoriya was the type of person that made it painful to simply stand nearby. Great, he was going to have so much fun with that.
"Don't be. It's just a video," he said, shaking his head. "I would have preferred not to immortalize my ass being kicked on the internet, but now that it's done, it's done. Nothing I can do about it."
"So, how did you do it? I knew the way you moved didn't make sense without a precognition Quirk, but how did you do it with an Empathy one?" the green bean asked with a level of excitement that matched the one Mei felt when she was working on her creations.
"Practice," he deadpanned. He would gain nothing by revealing his cards so soon, and keeping some mysteries would be good in the long run. "How long do we need to stay here?"
His question was answered by the door to the infirmary opening and the Symbol Of Peace inviting them inside. "Come in, children."
Takuma hated being talked down to, and he nearly didn't enter the room out of sheer spite.
"So, let's get down to business. Am I under arrest or not?" he asked, unwilling to leave the opening move to the hero.
"You are not under arrest," Recovery Girl chided him gently. "You are a patient, and I have a few questions I would wish to ask your legal guardian."
"I'm an orphan," he informed them, noting the flinch All Might tried to hide. "Also, I'm not a minor, so I don't understand the need for a legal guardian."
It was a flimsy attempt to dig up his past, and calling them out on it would hopefully lead them to come out with the reason for the sudden change of subject.
"Your name is Takuma Takuma, correct?" Recovery Girl asked for confirmation as she sat at her seat in front of the computer.
"It's my name."
"Any brothers or sisters?"
"Not that I know of," he answered honestly.
"Any medical antecedents?"
"You're the first doctor I've seen in a decade. You know about as much as me," he groused, irritated at her barrage of questions he couldn't care less about. Still, he gave her an in with his last answer in an attempt to get her to hang herself with her next question.
"I thought as much. Your blood test came back negative for most illnesses. I do have some concern as to your injuries and your overall health."
"I'm glad my unconscious body could consent to having its blood drawn," he deadpanned at the two heroes who did an admirable job of not acting guilty. Still, their thoughts didn't lie, and both knew taking his blood wasn't relevant to his well-being.
'They wanted my blood, but what for?' he thought, not seeing how his family could be of any interest to them.
"You are in the later stage of undernutrition recovery. I would advise some supplements to help you recover faster," the healing hero trudged on, moving over his sarcastic remark with practiced ease.
Mei, on the other hand, didn't like what she was hearing, and she was taken by a wave of guilt for not noticing the terrible state he was in when they met. He didn't like that. She had dealt with enough of his bullshit for the day.
"Alright, let's cut the bullshit. What do you want from me, and what the hell are you so interested in my family? Since I've woken up, he has been looking at me like he was seeing a ghost, and unless you have a good reason to keep me here, I'm ripping that off and leaving," he didn't quite shout, but he made his anger clear as day.
To that, Recovery Girl sighed, turning toward All Might. "Yagi, please."
"Young Takuma," the blond hero started to say, his voice heavy, mirroring the weight of his sadness and yearning. "I am sorry that my condition has impacted you the way it did, and I hope you can forgive me for the pain I have caused you. The truth of the matter is, as you said, you are an orphan. Since the second I saw you, I kept being reminded of an old friend and mentor you look strikingly alike."
'Well, shit. I didn't expect that one.'
"So what, you knew the people who birthed me before fucking off. What of it?"
"Not exactly," All Might corrected. "I knew her as a hero, a mentor, and friend."
'Please, no,' he choked internally, as he did not like where this was going.
"And the blood test we took without your consent, for that I am sorry," the hero repeated. He would need more than that to get into his good graces. "As come back positive, you are Nana Shimura's grandson."
"Is that name supposed to mean anything to me?" he asked with the same sarcastic tone. "I'm sorry for your loss. Still, that doesn't explain why any of that is relevant to me."
"Aren't you a bit curious?" Mei asked him, squeezing his hand in a show of support.
He was, but he couldn't afford to get hooked into whatever was going on with All Might, not so soon. Not while so much still hung in the balance.
"No, if that's all you have to tell me, get that off of me, and we're leaving," he demanded with a tone that left no room for contradiction while pointing at the needle still in him.
"I have an old friend who would love to meet you. If you are willing, of course. Could I ask for your number or a way to be able to contact you?" All Might asked again.
"I don't have a phone."
"You can use mine!" Mei said, jumping on the opportunity to be useful. "Here, take it too, Midoriya. If you're trying for U.A., might as well get your number now."
"I-huh-wa," was the distinguished answer of the future symbol of peace.
'I have so much work to do with him,' he sighed internally.
"Let me take that off, and you will be able to leave," Recovery Girl stated as she undid the tape that held the needle on the back of his hand. Takuma couldn't stop himself from hissing at the feeling. "There, it's done," she added as she placed a bandaid.
"We're leaving," he said, grabbing Mei's hand and leading her toward the exit.
"Wait. The car is back at the beach, and we're in the middle of the city," Mei told him hurriedly as she followed behind him.
"Riiight," Takuma groused, already having an inkling of how things were about to go.
"Allow me to bring you back," offered the Symbol Of Peace, like clockwork. "It wouldn't do to leave you stranded in the middle of the city with a Quirk like yours."
"Please tell me there's another way than the All Might express," he half-begged as Midoriya snorted next to him.
Takuma hated being touched with a passion; he wasn't fond of it for many reasons, and being held by a man in constant pain wasn't something he particularly looked forward to.
"I'm afraid not," deadpanned the old woman. "There isn't anyone available to transport you back to the beach, not right now at least."
"If anything, the trip will be short, nothing more than a minute at best," Yagi informed them.
"Alright, but make it quick," Takuma finally gave in. He needed to get as far away as possible from U.A, and if getting manhandled for a bit was the only solution, he would take it.
"Don't forget your bag, young Midoriya," All Might reminded the green bean, who was quick to grab the bag he had nearly left behind.
"Let's go."
They barely made it three steps outside the building before the number one hero swept all three of them and jumped into the air at a speed that shouldn't be possible. For the entire journey, he didn't let go of Mei, whom he was trying to cover from the wind as best he could. He didn't need his Quirk to notice how little she enjoyed the voyage, and neither of them were covered enough to appreciate the sight of the city below them. Only Midoriya seemed nonplussed at the experience, for reasons he didn't care enough to get into.
They landed later than he hoped, but sooner than he expected. They were cold to the bone; Takuma hated being cold, and it wasn't much better seeing Mei shaking slightly for the same reason.
"I hope the voyage wasn't too uncomfortable," the Symbol Of Peace said with a voice still far from the booming tone he used for his Hero work. "The weather is a bit rough, for that, I am sorry."
"I'm cold and done with everything. We're grabbing something warm to drink, so stay here or come, I don't give a shit," he warned the Hero and his apprentice as he led a freezing Mei to the nearest café.
"I nee-need to ma-make a baby to keep us warm ne-next time we're going flying."
"I don't think we're going to fly anytime soon, unless you make us both a jetpack, that is," he chuckled, rubbing her arms as a way to make some friction and warm her up, as little as he could. "I'm grabbing you some chocolate; let's sit you next to the heater. I'll be right back."
Takuma was used to the cold, even if he despised the very idea of it; she certainly was not.
Rushing to the counter, he bullied the cashier into hurry-ing the fuck up with some stern words on the not so overt use of his Quirk to push some fear into her. The acne-ridden cashier did her best, and he didn't care to count how much he owed, simply slamming a few thousand yen on the counter before bringing Mei her drink. The relief of the teenager behind the counter was palpable, not as much as what his girlfriend felt when she finally could put her hand around something warm. The door opened, welcoming in turn Midoriya and Yagi.
"You'll feel better in a few minutes," he reassured her, seating close to her as to share some of his body heat with her. "I guess I can add you to the list of people I cuddled for warmth with."
"I am honored," she chuckled with some more vitality after sipping from her cup. "You are the first one for me."
"And I'll wear that badge with pride!" he joked, his mind focused on the duo they landed here with, grabbing steaming hot cups.
All Might in his skinny form meant he was now on the too small list of people aware of the number one hero's weakened state.
Another thing he hadn't planned on dealing with. Takuma hated being in the spotlight, and today had been a shitshow of untold proportions; he was on the radar of too many people. All Might, Midoriya, and he was sure he could add Nedzu to the list. His paranoia was well-earned, and just because he couldn't know for sure if the rat was listening in, it didn't mean he could be sure he wasn't.
At least he knew he wasn't wanted on Vigilantism charges; they wouldn't have been so keen on letting him leave if he had been.
"Sorry for messing up our date again," he whispered to her. His plan had gone out the window, and Mei was suffering from his mistake.
"Nah, no one could've seen this coming," she denied before landing a quick peck on his cheek. "I left my bag back at the beach. I hope it's still there."
"Mind if we join you?" Small Might asked, pointing to the two free chairs around the table.
"Sit," he replied with a shrug as he draped an arm around Mei's shoulder to speed up her recovery from the cold. He still didn't want to deal with them, and the sooner she was up for the way back, the better it would be for him.
The atmosphere was awkward, to say the least. Midoriya was an anxious wreck, Takuma wanted to be anywhere but here, and All Might wasn't much better than his protegee.
"If I may, how long have you two known each other?" the Pro in fleshy disguise asked. Prying into his life so soon after meeting him wasn't the most tactful way of garnering information.
"You've seen the video?" Mei answered as the younger boy nodded while All Might shook his head with some confusion. "About that time, I was in the shop when the Villain attacked; he saved me."
"I see, you have the makings of a great hero already," the blonde pro noted with some nostalgic pride in his voice, making Takuma feel the sudden need to fall into Villainy out of sheer spite.
"He does. It took me a while to get through to him. We're both trying for U.A next year," his girlfriend enthusiastically informed the duo as she started to recover, not enough for them to leave, sadly. "Anyway, what's going on with the Skinny-might thing?"
Right, he knew of All Might's wound; she did not. He should probably have had a more apparent reaction to the number one hero looking like a desiccated potato.
'Oh well, that ship has sailed.'
"I was hurt a few years ago, a Villain that is now far gone and won't ever be a problem to anyone else," Yagi said with a finality that meant nothing to Takuma, who knew All For One was still prowling around.
"Is that why you're training him?" she asked, pointing a finger to the green bean.
"Of a sort," the pro answered. "I have been thinking about the future ever since my wound—"
'Thinking of passing on One For All.'
"—and I have seen in him something that I have been searching for a long time."
'A sacrificial streak bordering on suicidal and enough anxiety to fill an Olympic swimming pool.'
"And after realizing young Midoriya wasn't actually quirkless and simply lacked the muscle mass to use his Quirk, I took it upon myself to help him reach his potential."
"Oh! Is that why you have a very in-shape form and a skinny one?"
He could feel a hint of surprise before All Might rolled with the blow. "In some way, yes. Of course, I hope you understand any information related to my Quirk is a highly guarded secret."
"It wouldn't be the first time I stumbled on a state secret. I get the idea," Mei shrugged, to Takuma's utter confusion and delight.
"You what?" he said, the word tumbling out of his mouth out of sheer surprise.
"I have my own secret," she stated with a cheeky grin before laying a quick peck on his cheeks. "I can be mysterious when I want to, too, you know."
"Even if I bribe you with chocolate?"
"I have my price," she deadpanned without a hint of shame.
He chuckled lightly at her antics.
"So, out of curiosity. What are you teaching him?" Takuma wondered. He knew about the physical training from the show, but he always wondered if there was anything going on behind the scenes.
"Due to how close we are to the next term, I have focused our effort on building his strength from the ground up," All Might told them while taking a sip from his drink. "We lack time, so I had him clean the beach as a way to train and do some community service."
"It's pretty exhausting," Midoriya chuckled dryly while rubbing the back of his neck. "I can't really say anything about the result, though."
"So you're going to try for U.A with a maybe Quirk in your back pocket and nothing else? I don't suppose you have any martial arts training."
"No, they don't accept the Quirkless... not to any dojo I've tried to apply to," Izuku informed him with a pained expression.
"Service being refused to the Quirkless, why am I not surprised," Takuma groused with a bit of irritation.
"That's not usually the reaction I get," Midoriya whispered, not quite trusting his reaction to be genuine.
He sighed. "Some of my best friends were Quirkless... 'were' being the key word."
It made him feel sick to use the passing of the people he once knew as ammunition, but it hit the right spot in making the heir to the Symbol Of Peace more trusting of him. He didn't come here with a plan to get into the bean's good graces, but he could improvise, and if he couldn't go the silent and stealthy route, he wouldn't hesitate to go loud and proud and cozy up with him. It would make it easier to control him.
"I-..."
While his shorter counterpart was struggling for words, Takuma switched targets. "Who is the person you want me to meet?"
"My teacher and friend. He is a bit of an old goose and too rough around the edges for most people," All Might recollected with a small shiver of fear Takuma didn't like. "He was close to my mentor, closer than I ever was, and meeting you is an opportunity he wouldn't pass up for anything."
"Uh," Takuma grunted, already annoyed. "He better knock or I'm punching his teeth out."
The desiccated man laughed loudly. "If you do, take a picture."
"Will do."
"Use the air cannon, but be careful; I didn't program it to be less than lethal," Mei added.
"So you make Support Items, young Hatsume?"
"Yes! My babies—"
"It's what she calls her invention," Takuma added between words.
"—will revolutionize the industry. As soon as I get my hand on some proper material and the education U.A provides on some very specific fields, Hatsume Industry will rise farther than I-Island, mark my words!"
"And... you made an air cannon?" Izuku asked, baffled at the thought.
"She did," he cut in. He couldn't let Mei go into detail now, not while he was still improvising without a clear plan in mind. "And trust me, its nothing compared to some of the other stuff she's made, Mei's a genius."
He felt how happy she was hearing him praise her ability and squeezed her arm, grabbing her attention. "You're feeling up to going home?"
She was well enough; a quick dip outside in the cold weather wouldn't hurt her too much.
"Yes. Just let me shotgun this, and we can go," she answered before downing the now lukewarm cup of chocolate in one go. "Alright, let's go."
"It was nice meeting you two," Midoriya stuttered, the sudden shift in the conversation bringing his social anxiety back to the forefront.
"I'm going to make a group chat; don't be a stranger," Mei threatened jokingly as she stood up with him.
"I hope to see you two at U.A.," All Might said.
"We're planning on it," his girlfriend was quick to declare.
"I'm sure we're going to see each other again soon enough," Takuma tried to say in the most diplomatic way he could. "Have a good day."
They parted ways, and as soon as he knew he wasn't in their line of sight, Takuma sagged so suddenly that Mei nearly fell while trying to catch him, fearing he would actually hit the ground. "Sorry."
"Nah," she denied while passing an arm around his side to keep him close in case his exhaustion caught up to him.
The bag was surprisingly still there when they came back to look for it. It was probably due to the weather or the fact that it was seemingly filled with trash that stopped passersby from picking it up. Anyway, they both had what they came for. The way home was quick, and after an hour, they both landed on the couch exhausted, for different reasons.
"We're filthy," Mei yawned.
"We met the number one hero."
"We made a new anxiety-ridden friend."
"I messed up our date again."
"I'm not going to blame you for what your Quirk does to you," she denied blandly, as she sometimes did when he was being stupid.
"I...I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to back out, you know-"
"Stop," she cut him off with a glare as much as her word. "Tell that brain of yours to stop being stupid and blaming yourself for things you have no control over."
He nodded. "It's our second date, and twice now I've ruined it."
"Then that just means we're going to have to find a better place to go on a date," she declared, rubbing her chin deep in thought. "This time without toilets or a wounded number one hero around."
"I have the feeling this list is only going to expand with time."
"Well, in that case, I better start writing it down," she shrugged, starting to play with his hair as she made herself comfortable by laying half on him and on the couch. "You're comfy."
As always, the tingling feeling on his scalp was making it hard to think, as all he wanted to do was melt into the couch and enjoy the nice feeling coursing through him. "And you should go take a shower before we both fall asleep and miss dinner and your alarm."
"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make!"
Takuma : I need data
All Might : HERE COME THE PAIN TRAIN!
Takuma : oO
I'm not quite satisfied about my characterisation of All Might and Izuku. I think I mostly figured them out since this chapter. Hope its decent enough.