6 - ||

Inko, seeing as her collaborator was indisposed, took over. "It's not actually a ring, sweetie…well, I guess it technically is, but there's more to it," she took it from him and gently slid it home on his right-hand middle finger, "It's a gadget from Subtle Support Gear. See, you can pair it with your phone," she grabbed his phone and did so, showing him a connected device labeled as 'Ring,' "And then you twist the gem around inside your hand and curl your fingers like this," she curled her all but her thumb and pinky inwards and placed it against her cheek, the latter digit touching her ear while the former hovered near her mouth. "Then say 'call mom.'"

"Call mom," he dutifully repeated, his eyebrows going up as his hand vibrated slightly. Inko pulled out her ringing phone, the screen showing a picture of him as a sleeping baby, and declined the call. "Wow."

Mitsuki finally pulled herself together and herself off the floor, still breathing hard. "Impressive, right? Expensive, too, but worth it since now you have another way to contact people. And, importantly, a subtle way to call for help." She peeled his hand open and tapped the emerald, "Plus the color matches your eyes."

Izuku wrapped an arm around her neck and hugged her to his chest, doing the same for his mom on the other side, squeezing them both. "I love it! I'll wear it everyday!" He swore, kissing both their cheeks in turn.

As he released them from his embrace, he checked over his shoulder, half expecting to see Mei champing at the bit to examine the ring; instead, he saw Himiko whispering something to a nervous-looking inventor. They noticed him noticing them and walked around together, taking up the very last box and presenting it.

"It's from both of us," Himiko said, a quiet Mei chewing her lip next to the blonde.

Izuku took it from them carefully, unsure of what to expect, peeling open the unadorned box to reveal a metal circle and a metal triangle, both the color of brushed silver. Reaching in, he pulled the triangle out to discover that it was connected to the circle which, in itself was actually a metal collar and the triangle, a mask.

They were surprisingly weighty but not too heavy, and as he turned them around to examine them, he saw that the front of the mask was mesh so fine it appeared to be one solid piece, with a little design on the front.

"Well, put it on!" Toga said, startling him from his thoughts. He blinked up at her, and she tapped the mask near the widest section. "Hold here, and it'll open up."

Izuku did so, and the back of the collar spilt and withdrew into itself. He slid it into place, the mask covering his mouth and nose, and released the buttons. The collar slid back into place, then shifted slightly and while a bit unwieldy at first, he quickly got used to the weight. "This is cool," he muttered, voice slightly muffled with a metallic tinge. He glanced up at a smiling Himiko with an increasingly-nervous Mei next to her. "What's it do?"

"It's a combination of things, but it works better when it's on," the inventor muttered, reaching forward and touching a spot under the chin. With a whirr and a subtle hiss, the whole thing shifted and almost became weightless, cool, fresh air brushing over his lips. "When it's worn but inactive, it acts as a gas mask. When active, it becomes a rebreather, capable of recycling oxygen for up to an hour. I-I mean, it could've been longer but the O2 scrubbers are the smallest I could make them, but with practice I might be able to-"

Himiko patted her on the shoulder and cut across her rambling, "That's not all it does. Do this," she scrunched her nose rather cutely.

Izuku did the same and something clicked. Then a section of the breather unfolded, reaching up to cover his eyes. He blinked, his vision flickering slightly before it cleared up. Wait a minute, did I just… He squinted and his vision became black and white, with the latter showing sources of heat. "Thermal vision?" He asked, blinking at the electronic growl his voice carried.

"Yeah, white heat only, it was all I could fit in with the powersource," Mei explained, sounding oddly anxious, her eyes flickering from him to the floor. It was such a departure from her usual attitude that he almost asked her, but refrained. "This way, if you have to go underground or underwater, you can still see and breathe. Do…do you like it?" She asked nervously, playing with her fingers.

"This is amazing!" Izuku shouted, jumping up and sweeping both girls into his arms, hugging them tightly. Himiko gleefully squeezed him back but Mei went stiff, only relaxing after a second. "I didn't even think about that kind of thing!" And he indeed hadn't.

Inko clapped, interrupting the celebration. "Izuku, can you go get Sukuro-chan? It's time for cake."

Izuku set the girls down and gathered up his gifts, meeting Yu's eyes and nodding for her to follow him. Slightly bemused, the Rookie Pro Hero padded along after him, arching an eyebrow when he whispered to the bathroom door and the fox-eared girl emerged with her cheeks pink. Then she came into his room and spotted why her gift had been received with lacking tears and excitement: two pages from a notebook bearing All Might's handwriting were framed on his desk.

"So that's why you weren't ecstatic," she grumbled, crossing her arms and pouting, "Dammit."

Izuku glanced at her over his shoulder. …Sure, let's go with that. "Don't get me wrong, Yu-senpai, I really like it," he finished sealing the autographed photo in glass and set it next to the other, "But, to be honest, there is something you could give me…" He blushed and looked away.

Yu blinked, eyes going wide. Wait, is he asking me for a kiss? She licked her lips quickly. I'm not emotionally ready for this yet! Although…it is his birthday…

He turned around after grabbing something from his desk to find Yu facing away from him. "Er, Senpai?" He bit his lip and held up a photograph, "C-can I have your autograph?"

She froze and slowly spun on her heel, in the middle of applying a fresh coat of lipstick. "…Autograph?" She asked dumbly, "M-mine?" Then she saw what he held in his hands.

It was her. Not in her costume, not as Mt. Lady, but herself. It was a test photo from a shoot Inko had fit her into, of her in jeans and a sweater leaning against a Sakura tree, smiling gently at the camera. It wasn't even slightly risque, with the most skin shown being her face, but the way he held it, like it was some kind of embarrassing secret treasure, made her face burn.

"T-that one?"

Izuku looked away, face red. "I-I know it might be a little…indecent, but after that shoot, mom brought a couple extras home with her and, well…I-I thought it was so…you, Yu." He coughed awkwardly, slowly lowering the picture. "I'm sorry if I made things awkward-"

"It's alright, Izuku," Yu said gently, slipping the picture from his grasp and setting it on the desk with a beatific smile, "Of course I'll give you my autograph. I'd love to." She withdrew a pen from her pocket and with a steady hand, wrote a brief message that he couldn't see around her elbow, then picked it up and kissed it, leaving an imprint of her lips next to her signature. "Here."

Beaming, Izuku took it back and read the message. 'To my pillar -Takeyama Yu' "'To my pillar?'" He asked curiously, looking up only for his vision to be filled with blonde hair as the rookie heroine leaned down and softly kissed his cheek, lingering for a few long seconds before drawing back, still giving him that small, gentle smile. "…Uuuhhhh…"

Her smile twitched into a smirk. "To be honest, Izuku, being a Hero is really busy. Making a debut, being a rookie…it's all chaos and change and…well, it's not very fun," she shrugged, "But the time we've spent together, teaching and learning from one another…it's been my only constant these past months. Well, besides my apartment, but I don't count that. So…yeah." Yu blushed and brushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear. "We should get back."

He shook himself out of the stupor that her kiss had lulled him into and delicately laid the picture on his desk for future preservation, then stood and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Together, they returned to the living room where a large cake with a bonsai tree frosted on it for some reason sat on the coffee table, with sixteen candles planted around it, already lit.

They sang, Izuku made a wish (which he refused to speak of but blushed mightily when asked) and then they dug in. It was vanilla, frosted with buttercream and had a layer of green tea ice cream between cake. Each bite carried with it the sweetness of the frosting, the fluffiness of the cake and dense, earthy flavor of the ice cream to round out, and it was a pure treat to eat.

But all things must end.

Yu left first, but not without a hug and a promise that they would see each other the following Friday. Then Ino headed home, dragging a whining Sakura with her, followed shortly by the ever-sweet Sukuro, each planting a kiss on his lips before leaving.

"…Your kid just kissed three girls," Mitsuki pointed out, nonplussed.

"Mmhm," Inko hummed ambiguously with a smile, and refused to elaborate.

The other mother eventually had to head home as well and while oddly subdued, she still gave Izuku a hug and a reminder that they would run again on Monday, and this time she would set the pace.

And eventually, there was only Mei left. The pink-haired inventor had lingered after everyone else had left, still uncharacteristically quiet, and Izuku discovered the reason when she approached him. "D-did you like my baby?" She asked nervously, "I-if you didn't, I can fix it! Make it better!"

"It's wonderful, Mei," he said, laying a hand on her shoulder, "It might need to be upgraded in the future, but eventually so does everything. I'm surprised you didn't ask to see this," he held up his ring-bearing hand.

"Pfft," Mei waved him off with a roll of her eyes, "Subtle Support Gear is a civilian gadget maker, they don't have any fun babies." She gulped audibly and lost her dismissiveness, fiddling with her fingers. "Hey, Midori- er, I-Izuku? Does this make us friends? Be-because I read about it and it says friends typically start as acquaintances, then interact in a social context and exchange gifts, so…"

Izuku blinked at her. Then he thought. "Actually, no, it doesn't," he stood up as she deflated and headed for his room, yanking open his precious rock dust drawer and rooting around in it. "Hmm…that'll work." It took only a few seconds of exerting his power, and then he had what he needed. He grabbed an extra bag and scurried back over to Mei, holding his hand out. "Here. Now we're friends."

She frowned at the opaque, glass-looking drill-bits in his palm. "Are those…diamond?"

He dumped them in the bag and drew the strings tight before handing it over to her. "Yup! I know you can put them to good use, so they're yours. Exchanging gifts, right?" He smiled brightly as she looked at the bag, then up at him.

Then the widest smile he'd ever seen crossed her face, nearly blinding him with the sheer luminescence. "That's right!" Mei slammed into him, squeezing him with surprising strength before running for the door, "Bye Midori! Bye Hemiko! Bye Little Midori! I have babies to make!"

Inko shook her head with an amused snort. "What a strange but charming girl," she muttered, stretching her arms with a groan, "Well today's been fun but tiring. I'm going to take a bath and head to bed." She kissed her son on the cheek, then did the same to Himiko, giving them a warm smile. "Have a good night, you two."

And then there two.

Izuku turned to Himiko and she jumped into his arms, her lips meeting his with a gentle impact and quiet, pleased hum. She withdrew with a smile and snuggled into his shoulder, the two simply holding one another for some time. Then she sighed and slipped out, running a hand through her loose blonde hair. "Go take a quick shower and brush your teeth, okay Izuku? There's one more thing we gotta do before we can call it a night, alright?"

He gave her a curious look. "What is it?"

She tapped his lips with a mysterious smile and pushed him towards the hall. "You'll find out," she teased, "Now go on."

Izuku showered quickly, but thoroughly, making sure to clean himself all over before pulling on his pajama pants and heading for his room. Himiko was sitting at his desk, inspecting the autographed photo with a smile before glancing at him over her shoulder, her honey-colored eyes glittering. He licked his lips as the air seemed to charge, hair standing up on the back of his neck. "…Himiko?" He asked quietly.

She beckoned him over with a crooked finger. He gulped as he padded over, his fingers twitching, his eyes fluttering closed as he felt the familiar but ever-wonderful sensation of her lips meshing with his, her calloused but still soft hands stroking his cheek then along his jaw. Then they slipped down his neck and across his collar before resting on his chest, pushing lightly. It was only when the back of his legs hit his bed did he realize she'd been steering him around. Then she broke away, their gazes locked for a quiet moment.

Then her hands found the waist of his pants and pulled them down. "Sit down," she ordered softly, dropping down to her knees as he did so. Her fingers wrapped around his hardening shaft, her heated breath brushing his sensitive skin only quickening the result. "You know, I'm glad I lost so badly," she murmured, eyes still locked with his, "There's no one else around and nothing else to do…so I can take my time and savor this." She finally broke her gaze away to peer at the head boldly pointing at her almost in accusation.

Then she bent forward and kissed the tip.

He jerked, gasping sharply, only to continue as she pressed light kisses down the side, nuzzling along the length even as her cheeks pinked and her eyes glazed. And then she stopped, waiting for him to look down to meet her eyes, before opening her mouth and taking him on her tongue.

He felt his lungs seize. Everything had become more. The sheer heat of her mouth, the slight cooling of her breath, the wetness of her tongue as it pulsed gently against the underside…then she closed her lips around him and sucked. His hands fisted on top of his blanket, a sharp gasp leaving his mouth as her head bobbed, taking in more of him with each pass but so slowly it seemed like torture; every bit of progress was halted by her tongue caressing every iota of heated flesh, and by the grin in her eyes, she knew exactly what she was doing, and enjoyed every second of it.

Deeper and deeper she went, and if he'd thought her mouth was the most amazing thing he'd ever felt, it barely compared to her throat, bringing with it new depths of heat and tightness. "Don't choke!" He choked out, suddenly worried. She looked up at him and smiled, the bright, almost innocent expression very at odds with his length halfway down her throat.

And then halfway became all the way.

His whole body shivered, but not because he was cold. It was taking all of his self-control to not empty himself down her throat, and cool air on her remaining saliva as she drew back was as much a relief as it was despairing.

"Himiko…" He whispered hoarsely.

The hand lightly stroking him felt different somehow. "Himiko?" A quiet, airy voice asked, and he blinked. There, between his legs with her delicate fingers lightly squeezing his shaft and her small, slim lips pecking the head was his fox-eared, mint-haired girlfriend. "Are you sure?"

The voice may have been the same, but the tone was different. He opened his mouth to ask a question, only for it to be cut off by a gasp as she sank him through her petite lips and into her throat, though she gagged and withdrew with a cough.

"She's so small," she complained, massaging her neck even as she gave him a teasing smile, "About all she can do is this," she took his tip in her mouth and sucked sharply, positively lashing the head with her tongue.

Her assault was rewarded with a moan and the bucking of his hips. "Himiko!"

She grinned and released him from her mouth, gripping him tightly. "Hold on, okay?" She asked gently, and when he blinked there was a tusked blonde grinning at him, "I wanna see all the faces you make."

He blinked at her and in that time she had practically dived on him, taking his length down her throat in one messy, noisy go, blonde hair thrashing as she rocked and sucked and nearly head-butted his pelvis.

Then she pulled back and changed again, her eyes becoming a solid pink as her hair blossomed into Sakura petals. And once more she sank down on him, but slowly, as if savoring the act until her nose touched his base. And she stayed there, peering up at him, her throat working, pulsing around his shaft until the heat building inside of him had almost reached its boiling point…

And then she drew back. "I'm impressed," she whispered, rubbing her throat as she grinned like a shark. "But can you hold on, in the face of…this?"

Then she shifted, the hair remaining pink but becoming dreadlocks, the eyes turning yellow and gaining crosshairs.

Even though he was a panting, sweating mess, he still managed to pin her with a disapproving glare, even as he twitched in her grasp.

"Alright, alright," she conceded with a bob of her head, shifting back into herself. "So, who next-" she paused as his hand clasped around her crown, a grin crossing her lips, "Finally! I was-!"

He pushed her down and replaced her words with a wet gurgle, shoving himself down her throat again and again until he finally reached his peak. "I-I'm-!"

She planted her hands on his thighs and locked her lips around his tip, throat contracting as she drank deep of him in a new way, nails kneading his flesh as she hummed pleasurably.

With a pop, Himiko let him fall from her mouth, licking her lips. "Mm, not bad," she murmured, looking up to speak, only to find Izuku lying on his back, sweaty and insensate.

He barely felt it as she cleaned him, nor heard her leave. A few minutes later, though, he'd regained some sense and pulled up his pants, shuffling up to the head of his bed. A bit later she returned, crawling up to rest on his chest, pulling the blanket up over them. She kissed him gently, a hint of mint on her lips.

Izuku wrapped her in his arms, his hand rubbing her back. "…Are you trying to kill me?" He finally mumbled, nuzzling her nose.

"If that's what it takes to make you a bit more forward, yeah," Himiko replied bluntly, stroking his cheek. "You can't say you didn't enjoy it, though."

He hummed agreeably as she settled her crown into his shoulder, feeling sleep creep up. "You realize this means I'm gonna do it back, right?"

She smiled into his neck. "Oh, I'm counting on it." She shifted to press one last kiss to his lips. "I love you, Izuku. Happy Birthday."

…

Moving on…

With yet another line drawn in the sand when it came to physical intimacy, things one more advanced; though Izuku felt that, perhaps oral sex was maybe a step too close to the 'Serious Boyfriend' title, he couldn't deny that he enjoyed the act immensely, and exponentially so as his skill grew.

Boy was Sakura sure surprised on their next date.

Surprised, and pleased.

Things continued apace; Himiko and Izuku continued to train, running together in the mornings, sometimes joined by Mitsuki or Ino; they went to school where Bakugou had decided to leave them be; had lunch with Ino, Sakura and Suku-chan, sometimes at school, sometimes at the Uzumaki Noodle House, (incidentally, Hinata still had a hard time meeting his or Ino's eyes) and he continued to gather scrap for Mei and clean the beach.

Fridays changed slightly; after his birthday, the relationship between him and You had evolved. After learning of his unconscious role, Izuku decided to embrace it; they still taught/practiced grappling and Aikido, but afterwards they would go for a meal or if on a time crunch, some tea and conversation.

During this time, he also lent his dexterity to the pink-haired inventor when she required it to build the gauntlet, as well as spending plenty of time simply listening to her babble as he helped her put her babies together. Himiko would occasionally come with, but after the first twenty times her joke about 'baby-making' went over Mei's head, she preferred to find other ways to spend her time.

Which included learning how to hula-hoop for some reason.

A few weeks after his birthday, Mei was once again not answering her phone. Unwilling to leave it be for more than a school day, Izuku stormed up to Mei's workshop with an amused Himiko trailing.

"Who. Is. It-"

"Midoriya Izuku!" he growled, eyeing the microphone as if denying him entry would result in him ripping it from the wall.

That wasn't a problem, though. "Welcome. Father."

Toga giggled as he blinked in surprise, then shook it off and marched inside. He knew better than to shout while she may be laser-focused on a baby, lest anything explode, so he silently slipped into her shop proper and sure enough she was in the middle of welding together some kind of…belt, possibly.

As she turned off her torch and pushed her goggles to get a better view, he subtly took the tool and placed it back on its hook, then lifted her goggles off of her head. Mei grunted something to herself and made to pull her eyewear down, and just flapped a hand on her forehead fruitlessly.

"…Wha?" She grabbed her one of her dreadlocks and pulled it in front of her eyes, staring at it uncomprehendingly. Izuku slowly leaned into view from her left, giving her a blank look. She glanced at him. "Oh hey Midori." Then she looked back. "AAHHHH!"

The sudden scream affected him about as much as a spring breeze against a cliff face. "You weren't answering your phone," he stated, gaze narrowing on the deep bags under her eyes, "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Someone's in trouble~" Toga gleefully sang, sitting on an empty table and watching it all unfold before her.

"Pah!" Mei waved him off and tried to casually lean on her bench; 'tried' being the operative word, as she missed the work surface by about two inches and would've tumbled over had Izuku not literally been all up in her space. As it was, he caught her around the shoulders. She grinned sheepishly. "I didn't sleep."

He sighed and picked her up, setting her on Himiko's lap. "Alright, that's it. You're getting cleaned up and going to bed."

"Oh come on!" The inventor wailed, kicking her feet as the blonde held her in place while the boy began to remove her boots, "It was only forty-eight hours! I've done sixty-nine hours with no problems!...besides the fainting and random bouts of screaming."

Izuku ignored her. Himiko, however, noticed something. "Wait, you couldn't have been working on just that," she nodded at the half-finished belt thing, "So what were you doing all night and day?"

"Nuh!" Mei pulled her hand away from the boy, accidentally taking her glove off, and pointed at something standing in the corner under a canvas sheet. "Our Baby! Midori, don't take me away from our baby! At least let me show you what it can do!"

Izuku glanced at it over his shoulder and shook his head. "You can show me tomorrow," he denied, dodging a wild kick from the inventor.

"Please!" She pleaded, nailing him with a puppy-eyed look. He felt himself faltering, battling with his desire to keep her healthy but also not make her cry, and she pounced on the opening. "Please, Midori- er, Izuku! I built him for you! Just let me show you what he can do, and then I'll go to bed, I swear!"

He squinted thoughtfully at her, and she stuck her lower lip out. "…Alright," he sighed, but held up a finger to forestall her victorious whoop, "But you are immediately getting some rest, okay?"

Mei nodded so rapidly she almost head-butted Himiko. "Okay!"

Izuku stood from his crouch and approached the cloaked Baby with caution, slowly drawing the covering sheet away to reveal…

A robot. "BB!" The inventor called, "Initialize Wake-Up Protocols! Say hi to daddy!"

The robot buzzed as it came to life, shaking slightly as it stood to its full height, a good six inches taller than Izuku, a single optic in the center of its face flickering on in a burning red. And that was about the only feature; the rest of it was a simple silver metal over synthetic black joints, the head round and smooth. It whirred, the optic flaring angrily…

Then it waved meekly. Izuku tilted his head. "What is this?" He asked Mei.

"He's our baby!" She replied, and the robot nodded, "Well, we built him together so he is our baby, but he's my baby and also your BB at the same time!"

He blinked at the robot and noticed the two 'B' on its chest. "Oh, BB," BB nodded, happily bouncing on its heels.

"He's your Battle Buddy! And Hemiko's, too!" Mei announced, and BB ducked into a combat stance that he recognized as boxing, "He's programmed with almost every fighting style I could find on the internet," BB started bouncing in the starting Jeet Kune Do stance, then dropped low into Capoeira, "His joints are padded and impact resistant, also removable! He can take all the punishment you can give and repair himself afterwards!...as long as you don't rip his head off."

BB covered his neck with both hands, hunching away pitifully. "…It's a robot," Izuku stated the obvious, glancing at Mei with a thoughtful look, "To be honest, when I was helping you put the frame together, I thought it was a suit."

Mei blinked at him, tilting her head. Then a smile began to spread across her face. "…There's an idea!" Her eyes began to sparkle and she started wiggling with excitement…until Himiko pinched her side. "Ow!"

"This is amazing, Mei!" Izuku enthused, taking one of BB's hands and gripping it. The bot, sensing his intent, began squeezing back. Grinning, he took his hand back and punched the bot in the chest, the shop ringing with the sound of flesh meeting metal, and metal giving.

BB stumbled back, a dent caving in its chest. Then with a quiet shing the dent popped back out, looking good as new.

"Wow!" The boy gasped, the robot pumping a fist in victory. Then Izuku tapped his chin in thought. "Mei, why did you make this?"

The inventor stopped squirming as Himiko stopped tickling her, blinking at him. "Oh, well, some time ago, your teacher guy, Yaki-something, asked if I could make something for you to fight against, and then I forgot about it. And then last week when you came by, I asked how your day was even though I don't really care and I just wanted to hear your voice because it helps me think sometimes and you started muttering about how you thought you were plateauing because you didn't have anyone to go all out with and even though you were grappling with uh, you, it didn't feel like you're making progress when it comes to actual fighting and then I remembered that thing your teacher asked me to do."

"…Oh-"

"At first I thought it was kinda weird that you wanted to punch people but then when I started thinking about it I imagined you all sweaty and grunting and shirtless and I started getting really warm all of sudden and I really wanted to see that in person so I started building BB," She finished, making the bot cover his optic in embarrassment. "Did I say that part about getting warm inside out loud?"

"Sure did!" Toga chirped with a grin directed at a red Izuku, who coughed into his hand, "Well come on Izuku, give her a show!"

As BB dropped into a fighting stance, Izuku crossed his arms. "Hold on, we said Mei would go to bed after she told me what he could do; she's done so, now it's bedtime."

"Ah!" The blonde held up a hand, "She said 'show,' not tell. And the best way to show is to do! So…take it off and start punching!"

He frowned at the both of them, but thought back and remembered that they spoke the truth. As such, he turned to BB and cracked his knuckles. "Alright then, Battle Buddy…let's start slow."

They bounced around each other, throwing probing jabs until Izuku darted forward and aimed a strike at BB's sternum; but as the bot made to counter, Izuku feinted, snatching his wrist in his hand and twisting it about before pulling down, throwing the robot over his shoulder and pinning it with a knee.

As soon as he released it and stood, the bot was immediately back on its feet, ready for more. Izuku felt a grin pulling at his lips. "How about Muay Thai?"

Himiko grinned as she dragged a sleeping Mei from the workshop, hearing the sounds of combat echoing behind her. She'd have to hurry to not miss any of the fun.

…

And so full-impact sparring with BB was added to the list for both of them.

Another thing that had happened was Izuku trying on the workout gear Ino had bought him. True to her words, it was comfortable, breathable and he felt like he could wear it all day, and frequently did. Just…under his clothes, because another description that applied was criminally tight.

He'd wear shorts over them, but even having just the shirt exposed made him feel kinda naked. One of the good results, though, was that the first time he wore the full outfit, he'd made Himiko blush all the way to her ears.

But then, a month later, seven and a half months after he'd begun, Izuku finished clearing away the last of the trash.

Dagoba Beach was, once more, not a dump.

And then came a revelation…

…

The Revelation In Question…

"Midoriya, m'boy!" All Might called from his perch, watching the younger man slowly crawl by on his stomach; not using his hands or anything, but his Quirk alone, shifting the sand underneath him to propel his body forward. It was like watching a human-sized Roomba. "What are you doing?"

Izuku jumped to his feet with a smile. "I was going up and down to check if I hadn't left some broken glass behind."

Toshinori grinned, crossing his arms as he hopped down. Seeing his successor standing before him, once again showing his dedication to hard, low work simply added another layer of cement to his already firmly-planted decision. He examined Izuku one more time.

To say that the teenager before him was in great shape would be a massive understatement. Midoriya Izuku had the body of a Hero; tall for his age, with muscles seemingly carved from stone that carried a surprising amount of power even without his Quirk; but along with the intimidating figure he cut, his eyes were warm and his smile, bright.

All of it had been earned through hard work and a slightly-insane amount of determination.

Though he thanked the stars he'd stumbled across the boy before him, Toshinori knew that even if he hadn't, Japan would've seen a Hero to remember.

"Midoriya, m'boy, I'm finding hard to express how proud I am, in this very moment," he began, a small smile on his face as he opened his arms as if to embrace the view before him, "I gave you a task, an arduous, dirty task which you've not only accomplished faster than I expected, but also done so while expanding your skills and abilities with other training. You have truly earned the right to bear the title of my successor…and also to hear what that entails."

Izuku had already begun to tear up as the Hero he'd looked up to his entire life acknowledged him, but they faded as he heard the seriousness that overtook All Might's tone. He wiped his eyes, mouth becoming a firm line as he nodded. "I'm ready."

Toshinori sucked into a deep, bracing breath, and began. "I'm sure you, of all people, know that my Quirk is 'undefinable,' yes? That is because, in truth, it is not my Quirk. In fact, I was born without one."

The younger man blinked. "I…r-really?"

The Number One Hero nodded solemnly. "Indeed. Hard as it may be to believe, but once upon a time I was nothing more than a powerless human. But…there was a woman…the woman who would become my master, saw something in powerless little Toshinori that I saw in you, Izuku." He reached out and tapped a finger on Izuku's sternum, "The Desire to do good, the Will to fight for what is right…the Heart of a true hero. And that is why she passed her Quirk, One For All, on to me…as her master did to her, and to the master before."

Izuku swallowed dryly, the realization making his mind race. "A Quirk…that can be passed on? How is that possible?"

All Might shrugged. "That's not important. What is important, Izuku, is that I have decided to pass it on to you. After these months, I know for certain that you will be a force for good in this world. And so, I am entrusting you with my power, my Quirk…and my responsibilities." He sighed, a single breath carrying more of the world on it than a legion of Heroes. "They will weigh on you, my boy, and at times seem…impossible to handle. But I believe in you, Midoriya Izuku."

Their gazes met, blue locking onto emerald, nothing hidden behind their eyes.

"I know you can do it."

Izuku looked down, his heart thundering in his ears, and even after just hearing the words, he could feel the heft, sheer titanic effort he would need to carry the burdens being offered to him. "I…I…" he licked his lips and squeezed his burning eyes shut. After breathing deep and focusing, he met All Might's gaze and asked the question that had burned inside of him since the day he'd begun training. "…Why?"

Toshinori lifted his shirt to display the horrid, twisted scar that marred the majority of his torso. "Some five years ago, I was in a fight, the absolute worst fight of my life…and I made a mistake. This is the result of that. The monster I fought struck me with such a blow, it was a miracle I didn't die on the spot…but I still won, in the end," he gave a brief, dark smirk before it faded into resignation, "I lost a lot of my internal organs which, while debilitating, can be healed with some powerful Quirk…but it can't be healed. And slowly, over time, the strain it brings upon me, especially when I use my powers, will destroy me. Even now, I can only operate as All Might for three hours a day…and it's shrinking every day. Every day, I grow weaker, every day the veil is inched away, and soon enough…I won't be able hide it anymore."

"And when the Villains realize that…they'll surge…" Izuku muttered, eyes going wide with fear, "They'll run rampant, because they fear you so much, that when you're gone…"

"Yes," All Might nodded, "For so long I've been Number One, for so long so many have relied on me that when the truth comes out…it'll collapse. Everyone's life will become harder as Villains attack, confident now that All Might will no longer be there. I was the pillar that held the system up…but I am failing. You must take my place, Izuku. Not right now, and not soon, there's some fight in me yet," he gave one of his broad grins, but with a bitter edge, "But eventually…you must succeed me."

The young man ran a hand through his hair as he paced, kicking the sand before him as he chewed his lip. "This is a lot to drop on someone," he muttered, before sighing hard.

"I know, Izuku, but you deserve to know the truth. It's not an easy thing to handle, but-"

"I'll do it."

Toshinori paused, blinking. "I…beg your pardon?"

Izuku looked him dead in the eye, no hint of nervousness or fear on his visage. "I'll do it. I never expected this, but…how could I refuse? How could I spit on the faith you've put in me? How could I spit on your legacy, on the legacy of faith that your masters had in their students, how your master trusted you…how you trust me." He held a hand up, the finger stabbing at Toshinori like a spear, "I swear it, here and now, that I will never give up. I will never stop until I have lived up to your legacy, All Might. I swear, on everything I am, on everything I will be…I will succeed you. I'll be the rock, the pillar that society needs…and I'll do it with a smile. I Swear It."

Yagi Toshinori smiled. "Izuku, my boy…I must ask you for one further challenge…"

"Anything."

"Don't just succeed me," he said simply, "Be greater. Will you?"

Izuku gave him an audacious grin, his emerald eyes sparkling. "I will."

All Might breathed a long sigh of relief and leaned back against the block, rubbing his side. For some reason, the tightness, the ever-present pain…it felt lighter, somehow. "So, you'll take my Quirk, m'boy?"

Izuku nodded, sighing and rolling his shoulders, "I will, Yagi-sensei," he bounced on his feet, seemingly preparing for a fight…or possibly that he needed to pee. "How do we do this? Is…is it like some kind of magical…energy thing? Or is there a machine? With needles? Or…or do we have to fight or…do-do I have to, like, eat your heart or something?"

Toshinori bobbed his head in thought. "You're actually not that far off-"

"-oh no-"

"-You must eat…THIS!" The man burst into his muscular form and plucked a golden hair from his head, holding it aloft before Izuku with a grin.

His successor looked at his hair, then up at him. "…Just the hair?"

"Yup!"

Izuku shrugged and took it, rolling it into a little ball and popping it in his mouth with a grimace. It took him a few tries to get it down, but eventually he succeeded in eating his mentor's hair.

What a sentence.

"…Now what?" He asked a few minutes later.

"Do you feel any different?"

Izuku held his hands out, rotating his arms and flexing them. "Uh, no."

Toshinori tapped his chin in thought. "I…suppose you would need to digest it, first."

The younger man nodded and sat down, closing his eyes. It was only a minute later that he sunk into his meditation, the rest of the world falling away as his awareness encompassed his body and nothing else, feeling the energy of his chakra burning inside of him. Like a wine snob, he took a little sip, not enough to do more than slightly refresh him, but enough to make him hungry.

Izuku's eyes shot open as a tingle raced up his spine, making him shiver. "I feel weird," he announced with trepidation, his heart thudding uncomfortably.

"Bad weird…or 'dying' weird?" Toshinori asked carefully.

The younger man shrugged, gnawing his tongue. "I'm not sure, it's- Huueeeergggghh!" Izuku fell back in the sand, shuddering as it seemed every inch of his body shivered and crawled an inch to the left.

It was a supremely uncomfortable feeling.

All Might jumped off of his seat and skidded next to his successor, hands over the shaking boy, unsure of how to help, but luckily Izuku sat up, breathing hard but otherwise appearing fine. "Young Midoriya, are you alright?"

Izuku shook himself, "Y-yeah, I'm fine, that was just…really weird," he started smacking his lips, "Why does my mouth taste like coconut?" He pushed himself up, stretching and flexing his limbs cautiously. "I…I think I feel something."

"Alright," Toshinori sighed, standing up and brushing himself down, "Now, face out into the water. Reach deep within yourself, summon that power! Then clench your cheeks and with all of your heart scream 'SMASH!'"

The new bearer of One For All looked at the previous, blinking incredulously. "…What? I…okay," Izuku held up a hand and clenched it into a fist, trying to pull that odd sensation out…somehow. Closing his eyes, he focused as if trying to draw on his chakra but…not. Seconds of concentration, something began to stir under his skin like his veins were burning. His eyes opened and fixed on his arm. Angry red lines nearly glowed beneath his skin, his limb quivering with restrained power.

He turned to the water, drew his fist back…and then stopped.

"Wait, why am I doing this with my bare hand?" He asked himself, releasing the energy and shaking out his hand, the ghost of a cramp lingering in his muscles. Then he dropped to a knee and touched the sand, golden grains racing up his arm to form a simple gauntlet. Izuku closed his eyes again and the energy surged up his arm, easier that time. The simple, rocky appearance smoothed out like he'd turned it to liquid, gaining a glossy sheen.

Izuku faced the water, eyes burning with determination as he visualized the Sludge Villain rising from the sea before him. He remembered the helplessness, the fear…and the awe he felt, seeing such amazing power in the hands of his greatest hero.

Power…that was his.

"SMASH!" He roared, driving his fist forward. The sand kicked up around his feet, the air crackled as his knuckles punched the air, and a wave of pure force carved through the beach and sprayed water in a line…and then the armor cracked and parts of it burst off. Izuku grunted in surprise as his arm began to burn, muscles throbbing painfully tight against his bones. "Ah…" Grimacing in pain, he dropped the sand to reveal his skin splotchy with bruises and red from exertion.

"…Weird…" All Might muttered, tapping his chin in thought.

"Did this-ah, happen to you?" Izuku asked, unclenching his fist and flexing it, wincing all the while. It feels like I just spent four hours doing nothing but exercise my arm…it's definitely strained…

Toshinori looked up. "Uh, no. I mean, I kinda figured this might happen, but I never really had that problem. I thought, perhaps, it was a question of how much power your body could put out, but…hm…"

"So what do I do now?" He questioned, rubbing his arm. When his mentor didn't answer, he looked up to find the older man rubbing his chin in thought. "Yagi-sensei?"

All Might glanced at him, hummed thoughtfully…then shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, m'boy. As I said, I took to it pretty much immediately. So…it may just be a matter of time, Young Midoriya. Or it may be a question of your Quirk." He shook his head. "I really don't know."

Izuku frowned and clenched his fist, ignoring the pain as he drew on that power. "Then I'll have to find out," he muttered, letting it go as he turned a serious gaze on his mentor, "I swore I would surpass you, Sensei. I won't let this stop me."

…

It Did.

With the beach now clean, a chunk of Izuku's time had been freed up for study and training in other areas; a good thing, too, as his attempts to use One For All had hit a steel wall. He could summon it up and use it for a short amount of time, but only in small increments. Trying to access more gave his danger sense a seizure and left his muscles spasming for hours afterwards; with the small amounts he could access, it increased his speed and strength by an impressive factor, but too much and he would strain his muscles and crack his armor.

He had discovered, however, that wearing Full Armor and evenly distributing the power around his body meant he could use it for longer and just a bit more. But it wasn't enough.

At times, Izuku felt childish, complaining to himself about his lack of power when even the smallest amount he was capable of tapping into let him run faster in Full Armor than he ever did in First Layer, and punch in the same weight class as Full Armor in First Layer. It was a huge increase in his capabilities.

It was also only a fraction of what All Might could do.

But at least he had outlets; training with Himiko, building with Mei, sparring with BB, grappling with Yu on Fridays, and the Sunday Dates.

It still leaked through every now and then.

Yu paused as she easily escaped Izuku's hold, noticing the lack of focus in his eyes. "Kohai, I feel like you're not trying to choke me out properly, and how are we gonna learn the Garrote Escape if you won't garrote me?"

"Sorry, Senpai," he sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I'm just…distracted."

"That's obvious, Kohai," she muttered, squinting at him, "I know the Yuuei Entrance Exam is coming up quick, but you don't have to worry about that. The writing part you probably won't even notice, and the physical part, well." Yu smacked her lips and shrugged, "If I had put half as much effort as you do with training, let's just say I would've been higher up in the scores…probably wouldn't have gotten my foot stuck in a building, either."

Izuku grinned at her, though it faded quickly. "It's not just that."

The Rookie Pro threw her hands up. "Toga-chan's gonna be fine, too, Izuku! That girl's quick and canny and, being honest, kinda scary. If you guys haven't made the list in your first year, I'll eat my costume," she leaned down to meet his eyes, "While I'm wearing it."

He chuckled and shook his head. She's right, I've got other things to worry about right now. I should enjoy the time I've got while I've got it. "Thanks, Yu-senpai," he said, pulling her into a hug, "You know just what to say to make me think."

"Glad the thought of me not wearing my costume makes you think, Kohai," she teased, ruffling his hair affectionately, "Now come on, I'll get back on my knees and show you how to do this escape properly, alright?"

And so things went on, until one weekend. It was supposed to be another date with Sukuro, but she had sadly backed out for mysterious reasons, though not before promising to talk about it later. Disappointed but understanding, Izuku went to find other plans, only to discover to his dismay that everyone was doing something. Inko and Mitsuki would be at a shoot all day, Ino and Sakura were out of town, Himiko and Yu were taking a girl day, Mei had been out of communication for some kind of important project and All Might had another checkup.

For the first time in a long time, Izuku had an entire day to himself, and no idea how to spend it. Sitting down and doing nothing made him itch and the four commissions he had were done in about an hour, and it was only nine in the morning. Bereft of any other ideas and unable to train, he headed to Mei's workshop to tinker with some stuff.

Stating his name and being allowed in as 'Father,' which was still kind of weird, Izuku called, "BB!" As he entered. The bot poked his head from the living area and waved the duster he held in greeting. After another no-sleep binge from Mei, during the time she slept Himiko and Izuku had hooked BB up and downloaded a few health and safety protocols to his system so that he could keep a better eye on his mother. He couldn't physically pull her away, apparently 'don't mess with mommy while she's inventing' was hard-coded into him, but he could at least make sure she was eating properly and, if necessary, message the two of them to come and handle Mei. "Is Mei around?"

BB shook his head sadly and gestured to the spotless living area.

"I see," Izuku muttered, tapping his chin and sighing, "Alright, well, I'm gonna go into her workshop and see if I can't finish putting the gauntlet together. You want to come?"

BB nodded rapidly, bouncing on his feet before darting into the workshop and returning with a heavy apron and a pair of gloves that the human pulled on without complaint. Together they made their way through the much cleaner workshop, with the robot peeling off to retrieve the case that contained the gauntlet while Izuku grabbed the tools he thought he would need.

He'd been a bit surprised to see it hadn't been finished, but Mei had been very distracted with new babies the last few months and always glossed over why, so he took it upon himself to finish it. Besides simply enjoying the voice of someone who loved what they did, Izuku had picked up quite a bit when it came to mechanics. He'd never be even a quarter of the genius Mei was, but he could figure out some things.

"That goes…there," he said to himself, pressing a piece into place, "BB, adjust the angle by point-oh-five, please," the bot did so, and he carefully secured it. Nodding, he leaned back and closed the casing, then pulled the gauntlet on. "Alright, unsheathing."

With a careful flex of his fingers, razor-sharp needles burst out of the tips of the gauntlet with an intimidating shing! Izuku grinned victoriously, then focused and flexed his fingers again. The needles withdrew back into the gauntlet and he whooped. BB threw up a hand and Izuku obligingly gave him a high-five.

"It's finished!" He cheered, removing the gauntlet and placing it on the table, "Now, to hook it up to the rest of the system!"

He and BB grabbed the other pieces and carefully connected them, making sure everything was secured before helping Izuku strap a mask and collar onto his head and neck, along with a subtle pack between the shoulder blades. Pulling on the gauntlet, he nodded to the bot as it brought out a can of tea, tapping his chin against a hidden button inside of the mask that extended a sort of mouth-guard to his lips.

"And now, the final test," Izuku mumbled, extending the claws and stabbing them into the can, the needles piercing the aluminum easily. With a twitch of his thumb, the tubes along the back of the gauntlet began to fill up and the liquid raced up the tube along his arm and into the pack. With a twist, he freed the claws and left the can empty and drained. Then he bit down on the guard and a fine mist of tea seeped into his mouth and down his throat with little effort on his part. "It's all done, BB. It all works."

The robot nodded happily, then paused and pulled up a sketch of a suit and tapped it meaningfully.

"Okay, I guess it's not all done, but the most important part is," Izuku acquiesced, unlatching the collar, "Help me clean this, please?" As they finished draining and cleaning the whole needle-tube-pack-mouth-drink-system, he glanced up at the clock. 11:00. "…Dammit."

The front slammed open and Mei's voice echoed through the whole place. "Big Baby~! Text Midori and tell him to meet here! Then set out my good clothes!" There was a loud thump, followed by a joyful woop before music began playing and water, obviously a shower, began to run. As Izuku and BB traded looks, Mei began to sing along, poorly.

"I'll finish putting away this while you do what she asked," the human offered, only to blink as his phone chimed.

From BB: Father, mother requests your presence, post-haste.

Izuku glanced at him. "I'm already here." His phone chimed again.

From BB: You told me to do it.

He snorted. "That's fair." BB left him to his task to complete his own, which didn't take Izuku long. Months of spending time in her workshop, watching her work and participating in it had bred familiarity with her chaotic yet organized space. With the gear sorted into the 'recently finished' pile, he bummed around a bit, organizing her sketches and blueprints a bit more when a small, off-handed doodle caught his eye of someone, possibly Mei, chucking what looked like a buzzsaw at someone else. He glanced at the case containing the gear, and his mind raced. You know, some kind of ranged stunning device would really come in handy…

Izuku pulled a fresh sheet of paper and a pen, thoughts becoming lines as a shape began to take form. Compact to carry several, but large enough to cut through wind resistance. A payload, perhaps electrical. Release on impact, or…some sort of linking system, for remote release, so a remote included, perhaps in some sort of glove? The tip scratched across the surface almost fast enough to leave friction burns as another shape was drawn to existence. A button to activate the payload, somewhere easy to reach but not close enough to accidentally activate.

He was pulled from his thoughts as his phone buzzed, making him jump. He'd forgotten he was actually waiting on something.

From BB: Father, Mother is out of the shower.

Izuku nodded to himself and pinned the drawing, now depicting a bladed, circular weapon and a slim glove with a receiver and a button near the third knuckle on the forefinger, to the 'current ideas' board. Then he strode out of the workshop, hearing Mei's voice echoing towards him. "-ask like, hey, this is super interesting and I know you like this stuff and I like this stuff so let's look at some really cool stuff?"

There was no reply, because she was talking to BB, and BB had no mouth.

"Or maybe like, hey there's this thing, might be cool, might not, wanna hang out bro?" He heard Mei shake her head, her damp dreadlocks slapping against her face. "No, no-"

Izuku came into the central living area and realized he probably should've checked to see if the inventor was dressed for. She was, in a black shirt and panties. And nothing else. "Uh, hey-"

"Ahhhh!" Mei screamed and threw a pair of pants over her head, spinning around to find him standing behind her, his face red. "Oh, Midori, it's you. You got here fast!" She turned to BB, "Why didn't you say anything?"

BB pointed to the empty space where a mouth might be, then to her phone, where the screen flashed a message: Mother, Father is here sent 30 minutes ago.

"…Oh," the inventor huffed, scratching her cheek, "Alright then. So, Midori!" Apparently completely unbothered by her lacking pants, Mei bent over and dug through one of her jumpsuits. Izuku pondered whether it was Mei's lacking diet or constant lugging of machinery around that meant she was, to put it bluntly, very well-shaped, with firm muscle under a layer of plumpness that lent her the figure of a mature woman rather than the teenager she was.

Izuku blinked and realized he was staring at his friend's nice rear, shaking his head and looking away with a blush. "Y-yeah, Mei?"

"Hold on," she muttered, before withdrawing a pair of battered, crumpled tickets from the jumpsuit, skipping up to the boy and displaying them proudly, "Look what I won!"

"What are they?"

"So there was this competition at my school where the best invention in my class would win a pair of tickets and I showed them my brand-new Mask Baby!...that I was planning... to surprise you with next week." Mei coughed awkwardly, then continued, "Anyway, I obviously won, and what I won are two tickets to an Expo showcasing all sorts of science, even some people from I-Island! Do you want to come with me?" She asked with a bright smile.

Izuku blinked before a grin broke out across his face. "Of course! I'd love to go, Mei!" He grunted as she lunged forward and hugged him tightly. He embraced her back and the pink-haired girl snuggled against his chest with a happy hum. "So, when is it?"

Mei withdrew and checked her wrist. Realizing she didn't wear a watch, she looked at the clock. "About an hour."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "…And where?"

"…Mustafu Convention Center."

Izuku threw his hands up. "That's like, forty minutes away! I don't have anything to wear!" He gestured at his casual clothes which, by stunning coincidence, was also pretty much his workout gear because, outside of training and Sunday Dates, he had no life, "How're we supposed to get there on time?"

"Pfft," Mei waved his concerns away, "You could show up in your underwear and no one would mind, Midori, I know I wouldn't" she paused, blushed, and soldiered on, "Plus, I've got a car showing up in ten minutes! I thought about the commute, you know?" She held out a leg to examine the bare, peach flesh, "I should put on some pants."

"…Yeah," he mumbled, scratching his cheek, I already said I'd go, plus I'd get to spend some more time with Mei, so I guess being underdressed is fine. "Can I borrow a spare notebook and a pen?"

The inventor paused with one pant-leg on, "Of course!" She opened up a random drawer and tossed him a fresh notebook and a pack of pens, before pointing a foot at her workshop, "Can you grab my camera, Midori? I wanna record everything and watch it later to see if it gives me any ideas!"

"Sure," Izuku nodded and set off, taking a few minutes to find the 'camera' until he realized a red boxy gadget that looked like something Kamen Rider would wear was the camera when he examined the front and recognized the lenses. They looked almost exactly like the ones on her goggles. "Got it!"

There was a muffled honk. "Car's here!" Mei called, skidding into the shop and snatching the camera from his hands to throw it around her neck, then grabbed him by the arm and attempted to bodily drag him from her home. "Come on!"

He barely had time to wave goodbye to BB before he was pushed into the back of a sedan, ducking just fast enough his hair brushed the top of the door. Then he was in a seat with a squirming Mei in his lap, who called out, "Go!"

The driver, a rather average-looking man, sighed grumpily and began to drive.

Not that he particularly minded, but Izuku had to ask, "Hey, Mei? Should we get buckled?"

The inventor looked up at him, blinking. "Oh yeah," then she wriggled around so that she was firmly in his lap, her back to his chest and her head cradled by his shoulder before she pulled the belt around her front and buckled it. "Safety first, right?"

He gulped, fervently reminded once more that his girl genius friend was, in fact, very shapely. And a girl "Y-yeah," he muttered, trying to ignore the warmth and softness of the girl on his lap, before something occurred to him. "Mei, you go to school?"

She looked back at him, smushing their cheeks together. "Uh, yeah, everyone has to go to school,"she snorted, tickling his nose, "I go to a school that's all about careers in making Support Gear, so as long as I show up for tests and do my homework, they don't care."

"Oh," there was, of course, another burning question, but he set that aside for a less crowded environ and went for something safer. "I had an idea."

"Oooh, about what?"

"Some kind of ranged taser device that you throw, with a remote to detonate it on a glove."

"Oh!" Mei gasped excitedly as she wiggled, "What about wind resistance?"

"Some kind of spinning disc or-"

"A shuriken?!"

"Yeah, with some kind of material that makes it stick to people or walls, so you can set up traps."

"Oh, oh! And ones with other payloads like smoke or knockout gas!"

"Yes! And maybe a paired magnet so the thrower could control the shuriken!"

Mei gasped with something close to ecstasy, and Izuku suddenly remembered the driver, his head snapping up. The driver was staring at them through the rear-view mirror, eyebrows nearly disappearing into his hair. Their eyes met, held for a long second, then the driver slowly closed the partition.

Embarrassed, Izuku clamped his hands around Mei's hips, stopping her distracting wiggling. "Er, Mei-"

"I wanna take you home and make babies with you so bad!" She cried, jumping as the car swerved which, thankfully, served to jolt her from her excitement. With a sigh, the inventor slumped against his shoulder, gazing up at him sparkling yellow eyes and pink cheeks. "You're pretty smart, eh Midori?"

He shrugged modestly, "I had a good idea, but I really have no idea how to actually make it, Mei. I bet you have like, twenty ideas running in your head right now and you're already thinking about how to make them," he said with a knowing look, and she replied with a pleased grin, "I might be smart, but you're a genius. That's why you're…a-Mei-zing."

Mei squinted at him, her mouth moving as she soundlessly went over the, frankly terrible, pun. "Oh!" She gasped as she got it, then burst out into laughter, like it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. "That…that's really funny, Izuku!" She panted, squirming with mirth.

"I-I guess," he mumbled weakly, once more holding her tight lest she wake something neither of them could deal with. The question came to the forefront once again and slipped out, "Mei, why are you sitting on me?"

She gave him a searching look. "Because…you're comfortable?" She asked like was re-evaluating her previous statement of his intelligence. "You're comfortable and I like being around you because you make me comfortable and also when we're close my internal organs get really warm and tingly."

Izuku paused and licked his lips. "…Oh." He cleared his throat and decided not to think about it for the time being, "BB and I finished the gauntlet."

"You finished putting it together, you mean," Mei pouted crossing her arms.

"…Still unhappy you couldn't make a knockout drug?" He asked, rubbing the only place he could really reach, her thigh.

"Friggin' chemical synthesis," she grumbled, leaning back against him, shoving the top of her head into his nose, "Why does it have to be so complicated? Why can't it be easy like robotics?"

Izuku felt most people would feel the same about robotics, but had no way to voice it without getting a mouthful of hair. Hmm…strawberries, grease, metal and…white chocolate? Mei actually smells really nice, like a deep-fried strawberry drizzled in white chocolate…

He blinked as the car came to a stop. "You've arrived!" The driver called.

Mei squealed and threw open the door, making to bolt before the seat belt pulled her back with a choke. She scrambled for the release, tugging on Izuku's arm as she pulled him from the car. "Come on, Midori!" She called, bouncing excitedly as she led him up the steps, "Science awaits!"

The inventor couldn't restrain her energy past the entrance, turning on her camera before they'd even checked in. "Hey there!" A kindly woman waved as they came to a checkpoint, "Do you two have your tickets?"

The pink-haired girl handed the rumpled tickets over, nearly bouncing in place.

Smiling at her enthusiasm, the woman pulled a scanner from a pocket of the lab coat she wore and checked them. "Alright, welcome to the Expo! Feel free to look around and ask questions, but make sure not to touch anything without permission! There's going to be a lecture on applying integrated circuits in an hour, followed by lunch!" She reached over to grab two large paper bags. "And here's your goodie bags! Each comes with a lab coat, so feel free to put it on!"

While she hadn't looked at Izuku, it felt directed at him. Everyone else, while not dressed to the nines, were at least less casual than shorts and a shirt. He quickly pulled the packaged coat from the bag and shuffled it on, feeling much less underdressed. As they walked towards the main floor, Mei struggled to pull it on, but eventually did.

"Hmm," she hummed thoughtfully, holding up a sleeve, "White's not really my color…do you think, Midori?" She turned to him and held her arms out, beckoning him to examine her.

Izuku did so, seeing for the first time what she looked like clad in something other than her black jumpsuit and tank top. She wore a black shirt with the words 'Wrench Wench' above a pair of crossed wrenches, black cargo pants and boots, with her pink dreadlocks restrained by a black headband. By contrast, the pristine white lab coat presented a striking addition.

"I think you look cute," he said simply, and she beamed.

"Come on!" She cheered, taking his arm, "Let's take in the science!"

The next hour and a half passed in a blur as they took in the displays on everything from a washer/dryer combo in one machine to a powered exoskeleton. That one got Izuku's attention, his pen blurring as the scientist in question opened up an arm of the exoskeleton to explain how the machinery braced the frame.

Who knew inspiration for using a Quirk could come from Science?

Then they sat down for lunch, with Izuku carefully feeding Mei as she babbled a mile a minute and wrote even faster.

But Something Big happened after the lecture, which incidentally went back right over Izuku's mossy head but Mei loved to pieces, when they were strolling down the other side of the floor.

There stood a woman at a booth, looking rather depressed as a pair of people walked away. As they approached, she perked up excitedly with a nervous smile. "H-hey there!" She greeted, "Are you kids interested in learning about a brand new technology?"

"Am I?!" Mei enthused, darting up to the woman, who jumped in surprise. "Hey, we have the same hair! Nice."

Izuku peered at the woman, a lanky red-head in a lab coat with a pair of white-rimmed glasses, her hair in dreadlocks and pulled into a messy kinda ponytail. "Hi, nice to meet you, I'm Midoriya Izuku," he gave her a short bow and offered his hand. The scientist shook it with a surprisingly strong grip. "And this Mei."

"Doctor Hachiban Okuto," she returned with a small smile, "Let me show you what I've been working on…" she pulled a desk around and set a clean tray on the surface, withdrawing a large tube of something green from a pocket. Unscrewing the cap, she squeezed a measure of goo onto the tray and pulled a length of wire attached to a battery from another pocket.

The younger people leaned in as she laid the wire in the goo, then activated the battery. Instantly, the goo leapt to life, wrapping around the wire and forming into a seemingly-solid cylinder. "Whoa!" They muttered.

"Touch it," the doctor said, nodding at the cylinder. They did so and to their surprise, found it to be solid. "I call it 'geliform' technology. It uses a special kind of gel I created that reacts to electrical charges. With a simple charge, it goes from a gel to a solid." She grinned as the two 'wow'ed' over it.

"That's amazing!" Izuku murmured, poking the cylinder with a finger.

"This is actually the most sensitive gel I've made," Dr. Hachiban explained, removing the battery and making the goo slump onto the tray. She unhooked the wire and gestured for Mei to take both ends. "Even a human's relatively low bioelectricity is enough to activate it."

The pink-haired inventor touched both ends and watched the gel form into another cylinder. She gasped excitedly and repeatedly grabbed and let go of the wire, watching the goo melt and reform. "If it reacts to a current like this, could you make it do something with differing charges?"

The doctor grinned, pulling a tub of goo from under a sheet and shedding her lab coat to reveal a harness that went over her right shoulder. "You wanna see something cool?" She asked rhetorically, seeing them watching her with rapt attention.

"Yes, Hachiban-sensei!" They answered anyway.

"Then watch this," she pulled a spool of wire from the shoulder harness and dipped the end in the tub of goo. It immediately began to crawl up the wire, wriggling like something alive until it formed into a five-foot long tentacle with a four-fingered hand on the end. "And please, call me Doctor Okuto."

She withdrew a trio of balls from pocket and tossed them up, the hand zipping down to snatch them out of the air; then it began to speedily juggle the balls until they were practically a blur before stopping suddenly and with inhuman precision, balanced all three on top of each other on the desk. Then the hand shot out, snagged a cup of coffee from a booth on the other side of the walkway and brought it back, the doctor giving them a cheeky wink as she drained it. Then the hand sharpened into blades and spun so fast it buzzed, shredding the foam cup. And then the arm stopped, reaching out to ruffle Izuku's hair and boop his nose before pinching Mei's cheek, then swiftly nabbing his notebook.

The doctor took the book and threw a pack of cheap pens into the air, where the hand swiftly split them apart and drew the ink inside of themselves. As she held out the book, the hand blurred across the page for a half minute, then she turned it around to show them an almost realistic picture of their current faces; Izuku's mouth was open in awe, while Mei had a huge grin on her face with sparkling eyes. Then she signed it with her name and a little heart beneath before passing it back.

She stretched the arm above her head, where it looped around a beam before shakily pulling her off of her feet so that she hung in the air.

"Holy shit!" A voice uttered, followed by footsteps.

The voice jolted Izuku's memory and he turned to find a wide-eyed Sukuro standing next to them. "Suku-chan?" She was just as cute in a lab coat as he thought she'd be.

The mint-haired girl jumped, head snapping to him. "Izu-kun?" She blinked at him, then her face split into a bright smile as she jumped on him. "I knew I saw your head from the back, but I thought it was just guilt!"

"'Sugar-chan?'" Mei asked, looking over at the embracing verdettes, feeling something twist in her guts. "Who's this again?"

Izuku blinked at the inventor as a blushing Sukuro slid out of his arms. "It's Sukuro, remember? You met at my birthday party."

"Ohhhh!" Mei realized, grabbing his arm and holding it to her chest. "Hey, how's it going?"

Sukuro glanced at the two, her eyes darting between them. "Are you guys here on a date?"

The boy opened his mouth the answer, but paused. It was very much like a regular Sunday Date, but the big difference was that Mei wasn't a Not Serious Girlfriend. He was pulled from dilemma by Mei answering.

"Yes," she said simply. Izuku choked on air.

"Oh!" The fox-eared girl looked pleasantly surprised, giving them both a warm smile. Mei blinked hard. "I'm so glad! Izuku-kun, I'm so sorry I had to cancel, but this is the reason why. I would've asked you to go, but the tickets are really expensive…"

Izuku recovered quickly, "It's all good, Sukuro-chan, I think it worked out anyway." A four-fingered hand interposed itself between them, waving.

"Um, hey?" Doctor Okuto asked nervously, blinking at them with dark green eyes, "D-did you have any more questions?"

The two smart girls turned to her and began to bombard her with questions. Izuku smiled as all three women seemed to come alive with the sheer joy of scientific energy.

…

"The Expo is closing in twenty minutes," a voice spoke over the intercom, jolting the four of them out of the conversation they'd sunk into, "All participants, please clear away your areas. All visitors, please head for the entrance. Thank you all for coming to the first day of the Expo!"

"What?" Doctor Okuto muttered, looking around and noticing that most of the booths around them had been cleared out…and also that her geliform arm had been playing with Izuku's hair. After clearing her throat and directing it away, she pulled out her phone. "There's no way it's closing, it's only two at latest…ah!" She jumped to her feet with panic on her features, "I gotta clean! Er, here," she pulled out a trio of business cards and handed them out, "My number and business email is on there. I'd be glad to answer any further questions, but right now I've gotta clean!"

After shooing them away, the three teens headed for the exit. "Her technology is amazing!" Sukuro enthused, nearly skipping.

Mei had no such compunctions. "I know! I have so many ideas! I'm gonna make so many babies tonight!"

Izuku nudged her with his elbow. "You mean you're going to make a few and then go to bed at a reasonable time, right?" He asked knowingly.

"Pfft! Bed! As if I could sleep!" The inventor waved him off, eyes looking down the street for the car. "As soon as I get home, I'm not gonna sleep for a week!"

He frowned and pinched her cheek, drawing her attention. "Mei, don't make me have to come over at two in the morning to tie you to the bed," he threatened.

"Izuku!" Sukuro squeaked, scandalized.

Izuku stiffened and spun to face her, hands up. "Not like that, Suku-chan! To sleep!"

The fox-eared girl giggled, giving him a mischievous smile. "I know," she said.

He gave her a flat look. "…I really am a bad influence on you," he muttered, unable to contain a smile as he leaned over and kissed her temple.

Mei's smile stuttered and she snagged his arm again. "Er, Midori, why don't you come with me to keep an eye so I don't…stay up all night…making babies," she gritted out the last few words of her sentence with obvious reluctance.

"Well, that would be the responsible thing," he nodded, looking down the road. "…Where's the car?"

Mei grinned confidently. "I'm sure it's on the way!"

Ten minutes later, a bead of sweat streaked down her cheek and her grin became fixed.

Sukuro and Izuku looked down the empty street and sidewalk one way, then the other.

Nothing.

"…Do you guys need a ride?" She eventually asked.

"Yeah, maybe-"

"No!" Mei shouted, making them jump, "I mean…our date isn't over, so me and Izuku have to leave together to end it properly!"

Izuku tilted his head curiously. "Mei, don't you want to get home and build some babies?"

The inventor glared at him, squeezed her eyes shut, cheeks puffing out as her face turned red, looking like she was trying and failing to contain internal screaming. "No!" She finally burst out, throwing her arms up, "No, I wanna finish our date! And we can't do that with another girl along!"

Sukuro eyed the panting pink-haired girl with understanding. "Okay, I should head home, then," she reached up on her tiptoes to kiss Izuku's cheek. "See you at school tomorrow, Izu-kun." As she turned to walk away, she almost ran into Doctor Okuto.

"Oh hey, I was wondering why you were still around," the doctor greeted them with a smile, "Do you have time to talk?"

"Me and Izuku have to leave!" Mei answered quickly, "But I'll definitely call you later!" With that said, she tried to drag Izuku off, but he anchored himself long enough to wave to the doctor.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Doctor Okuto!" He said cheerily, "I'd really like to hear more about your science!" Then he let the inventor lead him off.

"Hm. Nice boy," the doctor noted, and Sukuro nodded. "Cute, too." Blushing, the fox-eared girl nodded again. "Hmhmhm…so, you mentioned some kind of air resistance solution?"

Eventually, with the help of his phone, Izuku found a subway station that would lead them home, and a teriyaki place nearby. With their food in hand, the two sat at a table and began to eat.

Izuku chewed and swallowed, reaching over to a distracted Mei and tapping the back of her hand. "Thank you for inviting me to the Expo, Mei," he said, giving her a soft smile, "I had a lot of fun."

She blushed and looked down. "…Thanks for coming," she replied quietly, nudging a piece of grilled chicken around the rim of her bowl, "I know I kinda sprung it on you suddenly…"

He waved her off, "No, it wasn't any bother for me. I was looking for something to do today, and what better way to spend it than with a friend?"

Mei had begun to smile, but it became somewhat stiff at his words, and she looked back down. "Yeah…" she trailed off as something caught her eye. The crosshairs in her eyes narrowed as she zoomed in, finding hints of dried green stuff under her nails. Withdrawing a vial from her cleavage, she carefully picked the goo from her nails and sealed it into the vial, giggling all the while.

"Mei?" She looked up as Izuku called her name, "Do you…want to do this kind of thing again?"

"Date?" She asked simply, her guts squirming.

He shrugged with a little heat in his cheeks, "Yeah, I guess, maybe spend a little more time outside of the shop?"

Mei squinted, humming. "I…okay, we can do that…but we're still going to make babies together, right?"

"Of course!"

She smiled and began to eat, humming contentedly. The day couldn't get any better.

It had to end eventually, though. Even though she'd sat on his lap on the subway, comparing their notes, when the time came for them to part, the inventor felt cold inside. "Are you sure you don't want to come in?" she fretted, mind racing as she tried to remember what the book on dating had said. She didn't even like coffee that much, just the caffeine, how was she supposed to invite someone in to drink some?

"Not all of us can be as amazing as you, Mei," Izuku teased lightly, "Some of us have to go to school."

"Still…" Mei started, only for her brain to stall as Izuku engulfed her in a warm hug.

"I know I can't actually make you do anything, especially when it comes to your babies," he murmured, his warm breath caressing her ear, "Your passion is one of the things that makes you so incredible, Mei…but please, get to bed at a reasonable time? For me?"

She attempted to reply that he could assure her bedtime if he stayed, and that if he was in bed with her, she wouldn't even complain. What came out was a pleased, agreeable hum.

Izuku chanced a light peck to her cheek and whispered, "See you soon," and left a dazed Mei standing outside of her door.

The inventor sighed dreamily and practically floated back into her home, unaware that she was singing under her breath. BB peeked in on his mother joyfully assembling a new baby, obviously happy after a successful date with his father, and pumped a victorious fist.

…

Over the next month or so, things continued. Training was done, dates were had and babies were made. During this time, Izuku had focused on his speed with constructing his armor, using the exoskeleton he'd seen at the Expo for inspiration. His field was two inches, after all, and a lot of armor could fit in that kind of space.

He had decided further on his 'Armor Layer System' with three he practiced often. First was a Subtle layer, a layer of liquid sand colored like his skin that wouldn't offer much protection in a direct fight, nor increased his strength by a large magnitude, but it did make him very fast and able to run on walls.

Second Layer now had a robotic appearance, and increased his strength and speed by quite a bit, as well as made him more durable. He'd been trying to figure out how to make faux-mechanical systems out of his rock, which would bump up his strength and speed considerably, and he felt close to a breakthrough.

Third Layer was what he called Full Armor, which was the thickest armor, shaped like All Might's favorite character, and it exponentially increased his strength and durability; though his speed and agility went down a bit due to the thickness.

Though, applying One For All wearing any of the Layers bumped it all up, for however long it lasted.

It was on the day before the Yuuei Entrance Exam that Izuku was sitting on his bed with Himiko sprawled across his legs, casually tossing her stilleto up and down as he practiced quickly building his Second Layer, that things changed.

His phone rang. The screen showed that it was Sukuro calling, and it brought to mind their recent 'date' which hadn't been much more than going for food, the always-shy girl nearly jumping him in an alley, followed by stumbling back to her place where they spent a good two hours exploring each other's bodies until they were a sticky, satisfied mess. Even just the memory of such a passionate day sent a trill of arousal down Izuku's spine. Himiko felt him twitch against her back and gave him a toothy grin.

Clearing his throat, Izuku answered. "Hey, Suku-chan, what's up?" He squeaked and glared at the blonde on his legs, more specifically at the hand she had slipped down his pants.

"…I got in," Sukuro murmured.

"You got in?" He said, making Himiko pause in her teasing, "Got in where?"

There was nearly a minute of disbelieving silence. "... I-Island," she finally replied.

"I-Island?!" Izuku bolted up, eyes wide, "Holy…Holy shit, Suku-chan, that's amazing! How?"

He heard a loud gulp over the line. "You…do you remember Doctor Okuto?"

It was kind of hard for him not to, considering they had just traded emails the day before. "Yeah?"

"She's from I-Island, and after the Expo we kept in contact, and I showed her some of the things I've made, and-and-and she's taking me on as her apprentice!" Sukuro squealed, and he could hear her jumping around.

"Shit, that's awesome!" Himiko chimed in, having pressed her ear to the back of his phone. "Congratulations, Suku-chan!"

"I-I know! It's amazing…!...B-but…"

Izuku frowned, not understanding why his sweet Not Serious girlfriend sounded so sad all of a sudden. "Suku-chan? What's wrong?" He couldn't but shiver as an unknown dread wormed its way through his gut.

"Izuku…I-Island…is an island," she explained slowly, sniffling, "And pretty far away…and exclusive…Izuku…we…we'd be so far apart and I…"

"…Oh." He slumped back against his pillow, a cold hand gripping his heart with black talons, "I…Suku-chan, this is a huge opportunity…and your dream. You…you have to follow it, you know? Even if…even if it means we…aren't a thing, anymore."

There was a poorly-muffled sob. "I know," she whispered, hiccuping, "That's why I wanted to call…Izuku, we've got to break-"

"Not yet!" Izuku interrupted sharply, before sighing, "Sorry, Suku-chan, but…I'm going to be selfish, okay? I want to spend all the time we ha-have left," he paused to compose himself, biting his lip as Himiko took his hand, squeezing it tightly, "I want to spend all the time we have left together, okay?"

There was a moment of burning, painfully loud silence filled by the rushing of his blood in his ears. "…Okay," Sukuro murmured, "Okay, Izuku. Forgive me, but I want to be selfish as well."

"I'm glad," he choked out, breathing deep. "…When?"

"After school, so about a month and a half."

"Alright…let's make the most…of the time we have, okay?"

"Okay," she sighed deeply, sniffling, "I have to go, Izuku…I need to call my parents and tell them."

"Okay, Suku-chan…see you later."

"Goodbye."

Izuku hung up the phone and dropped it on the bed, his hands shakily rising to cover his face. Himiko was instantly there, pulling his head down to rest against her chest, embracing him with all the love and warmth she could offer. She ran her fingers through his hair as he shook, silently crying. "We knew it would end like this," she murmured, wincing.

"…I know," he whispered hoarsely, clinging to her tightly, "I just…didn't know. I…it was supposed to be not serious, so…so why does it hurt so seriously?"

"Because it was a fucking lie, Izuku," Himiko answered honestly, squeezing her eyes shut as a burning tear streaked down her cheek, "The whole 'not serious' thing was veneer, a way to keep some kind of distance when this inevitably happened…we didn't do a very good job, did we?"

Izuku snorted mirthlessly, resting his head on her shoulder, "No, we really didn't," he muttered, stroking her back, vainly trying to give and receive more comfort. "…Himiko?"

"Yeah?"

"…This…and us…this won't ever happen with us, will it?" Please say 'no,' he begged silently.

She pushed him back, her hands moving up to cup his cheeks as their eyes locked, tearful, pained emerald meeting wet, agonized honey. "No," she declared roughly, biting her lip as her chest heaved with repressed emotion, "Never. You said you loved me, remember? And I said it back. And I mean it, dammit. Nothing will take you away from me, okay?"

He closed his eyes and nodded, feeling the gentle pressure of her lips as he embraced her with less desperation.

They lay together on his bed, seeking and finding comfort in one another. He looked towards the window, and the world beyond…which seemed so much colder than it had before. The cloudless sky, the cheerful breeze…it was mocking, now.

"…This is just the start, isn't it?" Izuku asked quietly, already knowing the answer.

"…Yeah."

The relationships he had with the other girls had always had an expiration date attached. But now that it loomed like a spectre of the future, it seemed so very real.

And they knew, after the Yuuei Entrance Exam, that their lives would change.

For a better or for worse, though, had yet to be determined.

…

A pillar can look as impressive as they like, be made out of the finest materials in all the land…and yet, without being tested, it is worth nothing.

Challenges must be faced, internally and externally. Adversaries must be fought, and defeated.

For a life without conflict is no life at all…

…And what is life, but a crucible?

Another step to forging The Sword.

…

…

…

…

A/N: …So. Kind of a depressing ending, there.

NS: A bit bittersweet, yeah. But we all know that I-Island isn't as unapproachable as Izuku thinks.

And I've been fairly blunt that the whole Not Serious girlfriends was never going to last forever, sad as that may be. But sometimes life throws you a curveball…then another. And another. Then a mix-up that hits you right in the chest.

Austin: I honestly still don't know how some people can "casually" date or be "fuck buddies" without having lingering feelings of love. That just looks painful to me.

Anyways, I hope the wait for this chapter wasn't too long; as you can see, this thing is a monster. Its size…its girth…don't let it intimidate you too much. Maybe do what I did and take it an inch at a time? It'd be fair, if understating, to say this is a big chapter with a lot of stuff happening.

And oh yeah, look at that! Izuku accepted One For All! Holy Shit, who could've seen that coming?! It's almost like, say, that it would be wildly out of character and incredibly fucking selfish for Izuku to refuse even a HUGE responsibility from not only his Mentor, but the Hero he looked up to the most for his ENTIRE LIFE because 'he wouldn't want to be in All Might's shadow.'

Fuckin' idiots.

Austin: Are… are you alright man?

YES.

Anyways, for those not on Ao3, the image linked above for All Might's favorite character is Rhino from Warframe. Yeah, I was tempted to use Atlas, but…Rhino is better. Rhino Main For Life! Punch All the Things!

Austin: *Cough* Harrow is better *Cough*

…If you're a bitch.

Austin: BOI.

Anywho, a lot of stuff happened, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter and all the stuff that happened, good, bad and (hopefully) heart-wrenching. If you didn't feel anything, then, well…

WHAT MUST I DO TO SCRAPE EVEN THE SURFACE OF YOUR FLINTY BLACK HEART?! MUST I BEG, AND PLEAD ON MY KNEES, AND FLAGELLATE MYSELF BEFORE YOU, FOR EVEN AN OUNCE OF SYMPATHY OR, GODS BE GOOD, EMPATHY?!

…Because I won't.

Big thanks, as always, to the usual suspects but to NorthSouthGorem, his Everlasting-Weebness, Long May He Reign in particular!...AustinYEEED was also here.

Next chapter, probably coming soon: The Yuuei Entrance Exam! Even more stuff happens! :D

BTW, Hinata's not in the Harem.

Stay Safe, Stay Awesome.

~Soleneus

P.S.: I know my diatribe may've been a bit extreme and there were, to be fair, more than a few people who reasonably believe that Izuku's story would be better without OFA, and that diatribe wasn't for them. It was for the idiots who went full dipshit and ranted about how stupid OFA and All Might are, and those people can go fuck themselves.

For the rest of you, don't worry.

I have a plan.

NS: Plans are fun. Always have a plan.

Sidenote: What does it say about me that all of the intimate and emotional scenes were written while I was listening to Blue Stahli and Powerwolf? I don't think I wanna know.

Stay Awesome Some More.

~still Soleneus