Back in the workshop, Toru and Mei stood in awkward silence.
Toru's floating uniform hadn't moved since Izuku removed his shirt. Her brain was still processing the images now burned into her memory. The abs. The shoulders. The scars that made him look dangerous and experienced. The way his muscles shifted when he moved.
She'd known he was built. She'd touched his arm countless times when they walked together.
But seeing it? Actually SEEING the full extent of what training had produced?
Her entire body felt like it was on fire.
"He's very sturdy," Mei said, breaking the silence.
Toru's uniform twitched. Right. The pink-haired menace was still here.
"You were touching him."
"I was measuring him! Measuring requires contact!"
"You were touching his STOMACH!"
Mei tilted her head, her crosshair pupils contracting in apparent confusion. "Yes? The abdominal measurements are essential for proper core armor fitting. The support equipment needs to—"
"You were TOUCHING HIM."
"I don't understand why you keep emphasizing that word."
Toru's gloves clenched into fists. Part of her wanted to strangle this oblivious chaos gremlin. Another part of her recognized that Mei Hatsume genuinely didn't seem to understand what she'd done wrong. The girl operated on a different wavelength than normal humans.
But mostly Toru was still thinking about Izuku's abs and the way his muscles had flexed when he breathed.
"You can't just... touch people like that."
"Why not? Physical contact is the most accurate method of structural analysis. My hands can detect muscle tension, bone positioning, and tissue density that scanners miss."
"Because it's INTIMATE!"
Mei's head tilted further, like a confused puppy. "Is it? I touch my babies all the time and no one calls that intimate."
"He's not a BABY!"
"Obviously! He's a test subject! Much more durable than babies!"
Toru made a strangled noise of frustration. Having this conversation was like arguing with a wall, except the wall occasionally exploded things and had zero concept of social norms.
But.
But Mei Hatsume was also clearly brilliant. The way she'd analyzed Izuku's ruined costume, identifying problems Toru couldn't even see. The devices scattered around her workbench that hummed with obvious capability. The confidence with which she discussed modifications and improvements.
If anyone could help Toru with her problem...
"Can I ask you something?"
Mei perked up immediately, her attention snapping to Toru's floating uniform with renewed interest. "YES! Ask me anything! I love questions! Questions lead to innovation!"
Toru hesitated. This was embarrassing. This was deeply embarrassing. But she'd been thinking about it since Mei mentioned the possibility earlier, and she couldn't get it out of her head.
"You mentioned earlier. About being able to see myself."
Mei's crosshair pupils dilated with obvious excitement. "The light refraction manipulation! Yes! It's theoretically possible to create a device that—"
"Is it ACTUALLY possible? Or just theoretical?"
Mei paused, her manic energy briefly contained by serious consideration.
"The technology exists in fragments. Other support developers have created visibility-enhancing devices for reconnaissance purposes. The challenge with your Quirk is that your body doesn't just bend light around itself, it actively redirects photons in ways that shouldn't be physically possible. To let YOU see yourself, I would need to create a closed-loop system that intercepts the redirected light before it disperses and projects it back to your visual cortex."
Toru's uniform shifted. "I understood maybe a third of that."
"It would be HARD! Extremely hard! Possibly the hardest baby I've ever attempted!" Mei's voice grew louder with each sentence. "I would need to study your Quirk extensively! Run tests! Take measurements! Probably explode several prototypes!"
"But you could do it?"
Mei grinned, the expression containing equal parts confidence and madness. "I can do ANYTHING if you give me enough time and resources! This would just require more of both!"
"What would you need from me?"
"EVERYTHING! Brain scans! Quirk activation readings! Detailed analysis of how your invisibility field interacts with different wavelengths! I would need to spend HOURS studying you!"
Toru's uniform stiffened. "Hours? Alone with you?"
"Unless you have someone else with a comprehensive understanding of bio-integrated light manipulation technology?"
The answer was obviously no. Mei Hatsume was probably the only person insane enough to even attempt this project.
Which meant Toru would have to spend time with her. Extended time. Time during which Mei might also be working on Izuku's equipment. Time during which they would both be in this workshop.
Time during which Mei might touch Izuku again.
"One condition."
Mei leaned forward eagerly. "Name it!"
"You don't get to touch Izuku unless I'm present. And even then, ONLY for actual measurements. No 'feeling his muscle density' or whatever that was."
"But—"
"Those are my terms."
Mei considered this for approximately half a second. "DEAL! Your Quirk is far more interesting than his muscles anyway! The applications are ENDLESS! I could revolutionize stealth technology! I could create an entirely new field of support equipment! I could make BEAUTIFUL BABIES that change how heroes operate forever!"
She grabbed Toru's glove and shook it vigorously, nearly dislocating the invisible arm attached to it.
"This partnership will produce the GREATEST babies the support course has ever seen!"
Toru winced at the grip strength. "Please stop calling them babies."
"Never! They are my CHILDREN! My beautiful mechanical children!"
The bathroom door opened and Izuku emerged, now fully clothed and apparently recovered from whatever had sent him fleeing. His expression was carefully neutral, though his eyes carried a hint of something Toru couldn't quite identify.
"Did I miss anything?"
"We're partners now!" Mei announced, still holding Toru's glove. "She's going to let me study her Quirk and I'm going to make her visible!"
Izuku's eyebrows rose slightly. "Visible?"
"Theoretically! Possibly! With extensive research and several explosions!"
Toru extracted her hand from Mei's grip and moved toward Izuku, positioning herself between him and the pink-haired inventor. "She's going to help me see myself. Maybe. If her babies actually work."
"They ALWAYS work! Eventually! After the initial failures!"
Izuku looked between the two of them, clearly processing the dynamics that had shifted during his brief absence. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Sounds like you two are getting along."
"We are NOT getting along," Toru said firmly. "This is a business arrangement. Purely professional."
"And mutually beneficial!" Mei added. "She provides unique Quirk data and I provide revolutionary technology! Everyone wins! Especially my babies!"
Izuku's smile widened. "Well then. I'll leave you two to your... business arrangement."
"You're not leaving!" Mei spun toward him, crosshair pupils locking on. "I still need to finish your measurements! The hip dimensions are CRITICAL for proper armor distribution!"
"Maybe next time."
"But the DATA!"
"Will still be there tomorrow."
Izuku collected his blazer from the workbench and shrugged it on, somehow making the motion look effortlessly cool despite the chaos surrounding them. He caught Toru's invisible eye, or at least the general area where her eye should be, and something passed between them that Mei completely failed to notice.
"I'll walk you to the station, Spotlight."
Toru's uniform perked up. "You will?"
"Unless you'd rather stay here and let Hatsume explode things at you."
"Walking sounds great! Walking sounds PERFECT! Let's walk RIGHT NOW!"
She grabbed Izuku's arm with perhaps more force than necessary and began pulling him toward the workshop exit. Mei called after them, waving her scanner and shouting something about scheduling future measurement sessions, but Toru didn't slow down until they were safely in the hallway.
"So," Izuku said. "That was interesting."
Toru's grip on his arm tightened. "I saw your abs."
"I noticed."
"They were very. Very." She trailed off, apparently unable to find words.
"Very?"
"Yes."
Izuku laughed, the sound warm and genuine in the empty hallway. "I'll take that as a compliment."