Chapter Text
Izuku
I was working on Thirteen’s new suit design, trying to ignore the pit in my stomach.
The sensors should keep her from harming herself. The auto shut on her gloves should react within five milliseconds but hopefully Power Loader can suggest something to shave it down further. I should give her an easier capture option too. Maybe a taser?
After adding my final touches, I looked over the complete blueprint. Seeing my contribution to another hero lifted my spirits momentarily. They quickly dropped again as I read the email for the hundredth time, growing more frustrated with every line: ‘more realistic expectations’ ‘impossible with current technologies’. My eyes clouded with disappointment. A knock on the door broke my reverie. I sighed before putting a smile on my face. “Come in,” I called out, trying to sound cheerful.
The door opened to reveal our home’s new additions. Aiko and Hatsume Mei, the eccentric friend I had heard so much about had gotten permission to come stay with us for their vacation. My smile became much warmer at the sight of my first real friend. Aiko had grown into a beautiful young woman… as my mom never ceased to remind me.
Hatsume bounced into the room, her bright pink hair curled into dreads that made me think of springs. Every aspect of her reflected her vibrant personality. I admired her muscles, earned from hours pounding metal into shape. Her bright eyes with crosshairs for irises sparkled with excitement as she zoomed in on the blueprints behind me. Dressed in a practical jumpsuit adorned with pockets for her tools, she radiated an infectious energy, ready to dive into her next invention.
“Hi! I’m Hatsume Mei, Future CEO of Hatsume Industries! Just call me Mei though. Wings has told me so much about you!” Mei exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I can’t wait to see what amazing ‘babies’ we can make together!”
“She’s told me a lot about you too! It’s nice to meet you…” I was thankful for Aiko’s warnings about Mei’s habit of calling her inventions ‘babies’; what was harder to stay calm about was Mei’s hands traveling all over my body.
“Don’t worry she’s just taking your measurements, so she doesn’t have to later. MEI! We’ve talked about personal space and asking permission, haven’t we?” Aiko asked with her foot tapping but the slightest blush dusted her cheeks.
“Yes, but you said we would probably be working on a project for him, and I can’t work if I don’t have the measurements!” Mei explained, as if it were obvious why she was touching me everywhere. “Plus, I’ve never seen such an amazing physique on someone our age. I mean, look at this.”
Before I could react, Mei swiftly pulled my shirt off. Aiko’s blush went from light to crimson in a millisecond.
I was blushing just as badly. Looking down, I could see what Mei meant. Training with Aizawa had stripped the last of the baby fat off me, revealing solid, defined muscles. Aizawa had been spot on about my muscle type and sticking with his regime over the past year, combined with daily parkour and sparring sessions, had transformed my body. My mom said I reminded her of a jungle cat, lithe, muscular, and built for speed and agility.
My mom chose that moment to open my door with laundry in her hands. We all froze before she exited with a smile. A moment later we heard a shout of “GRANDBABIES!” My face went nuclear as did Aiko’s and we both fainted.
After we recovered and I retrieved my shirt, I gave them both a proper hello. Aiko smiled warmly as she held Mei’s leg down to stop her from causing more chaos. “I apologize for her. She’s a genius with gadgets and tech but understands nothing of social cues.”
“And I apologize for my mom she loves to embarrass me. You should see how she gets when Himi hangs on me.” I explained with a laugh, missing Aiko’s smile grow thin.
Mom’s probably also trying to cheer me up
The depressing thought dropped my mood, but I kept the smile on my face. Aiko saw through me immediately though. “What’s going on?” she said gently, her eyes full of concern.
She has always been good at reading me, even across video chat.
I tried to brush it off, but under her caring gaze, I couldn’t hold back. “It’s my hero uniform design,” I admitted, my voice trembling. “Ingenium’s team said it’s too advanced. They said half of my blueprints are impossible to make. The only thing they sent over completed was the emergency first aid system with diagnostic scanners in the fingertips and honestly, I feel like I could have done better.”
“Then do it,” Mei said absentmindedly while tinkering with parts she pulled out of her pockets. Before we could ask her what she meant, her eyes lit up with excitement and determination. “We can do it together, Muscles. We’ll build the best hero uniform ever!”
Aiko paused for a moment before she nodded in agreement. “We would make an awesome team, Zuku. I’m in!”
I thought hard before I looked up with a fire in my eyes. “Let’s do it!” then after a pause I ask “But I wanted to ask ‘Wings’? ‘Muscles’?”
Mei looked at Aiko and Aiko sighed before explaining, “Mei is terrible with names, so she picks the most obvious nickname for people and uses that exclusively.” I laughed and grabbed my phone to call Nezu.
Honestly, I’ve had a lot worse nicknames.
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Getting permission to use the workshop from Nezu was so easy. He’s definitely grading this.
We arrived at UA and Aiko and Mei’s eyes were enormous when they saw the workshops. Aiko confirmed again that we had permission while Mei didn’t seem to care as long as she got to build her ‘babies’.
Our trio dove into the project with fervor. Aiko giggled as my passion shone through explaining each feature of the suit I had designed.
“I wanted a suit with adaptive armor that would adjust its rigidity and flexibility based on the situation,” I said, my eyes sparkling with excitement. “It’d provide both protection and mobility.”
Mei grinned. “And the stealth mode with integrated cloaking technology will be perfect for underground hero missions. I know Wings was working on a camo cloak design for you that’s so small and delicate I couldn’t even see the parts! Muscles did you know she can handle things smaller than my Zoom Quirk can see?”
I blushed slightly, “Y-Yeah, I was aware.” Aiko blushed, remembering my passion all those years ago.
Aiko added, “The mask should be collapsible with a clean oxygen supply and a sound dampener to help contain your muttering.”
I blushed slightly, scratching the back of my head. “Yeah… Nezu actually slowed down my rapid speed mutters and said it was very useful information. He even suggested programming an AI to transcribe and use it.”
Mei burst into laughter. “Weaponized muttering. Absolutely including that. Dual‑mode: external noise suppression, internal mic array feeding HUD text.”
Despite our enthusiasm, the initial attempts were met with frustration. The materials we had weren’t quite right, and some of the technology seemed beyond our reach. My disappointment grew as I started to think Ingenium’s team was right, but Mei’s conviction never wavered.
“Failure is just progress,” she insisted. “We need more explosions!”
Aiko panicked, “Mei no!”
“Mei Yes!” Mei cheered.
They both looked at me, and after a moment of thought I gave my best Aizawa grin. “Mei yes!”
----------------------------------------------------
One afternoon, about a week after we started working, the door to Nezu’s office burst open. Power Loader stormed in, his face a mix of exasperation and amusement. “Nezu, these kids are menaces!” he exclaimed. “They’ve caused more explosions in the workshop by themselves than all of my first-year classes combined! I demand a raise for dealing with this chaos!”
“Explosions are a necessary part of the process!” Three voices rang out together with our joint argument for explosion necessity.
Nezu steepled his paws, eyes bright. “I see their creativity is in full swing.” He turned, entirely too pleased. “Very well, Power Loader. I’ll review your compensation. In the meantime, let’s assign oversight.”
Aizawa stepped in behind us with a sigh that could snuff candles. “I’ll take them. And you three-” his gaze swept over the scorch patterns on our sleeves “-no more trouble.” A beat. “Or at least… less.”
Aiko and I traded guilty grins. With Aizawa’s guidance, we knew we could push our project even further.
The next few weeks were a whirlwind of activity. The girls’ support was invaluable. We worked tirelessly, each bringing our unique skills to the table. Mei’s technical expertise and seemingly infinite ideas for ‘babies’, Aiko’s strategic thinking and delicate touch combined with my designs and determination created a synergy that was unstoppable.
We encountered multiple failures for the adaptive armor, until I found the perfect solution: armadillo shells; I showed the girls how they had small bony plates interweaved with flexible bands. Mei immediately designed two nanofibers: one stronger than steel and the other incredibly flexible. Aiko weaved the two nanofibers into a matrix that flexed freely but defended against an incredible amount of abuse.
Nezu reviewed the data once, and by morning legal had filed a provisional patent for the nanoweave in our three names under UA’s umbrella. I tried to refuse credit. The girls stared me down. I lost that vote.
Mei surprisingly already had a lightweight exoskeleton prototype. When asked, she said she made this baby when ‘Wings’ first told her about the amazing quirkless boy who wanted to be a hero. She continued talking about adding protection to the gloves and steel toes to his boots for combat while working at integrating the exoskeleton with the AI we built, not realizing both her young friends had turned into blushing messes behind her.
The mask was able to collapse back so I could speak to people at a moment’s notice, with filters for smoke and gas, sound dampener, and recorder for my muttering.
The AI we designed was the crown jewel. It was a fusion of Aiko’s, my, and Mei’s personalities, programmed to provide tactical support and real-time analysis while also deciphering my rapid-fire data into valuable strategic input. The AI assistant’s voice, modeled after Aiko, was chosen because Mei overheard me shyly telling Nemuri that her voice was beautiful and soothing. I swore Mei did it on purpose after she smirked at our steaming faces. Named FlutterByte, our creation made Power Loader offer Aiko and Mei full rides to UA when they turned eighteen. Surprising no one they both excitedly accepted.
Despite any embarrassment, I found FlutterByte so useful that I kept the head-up display we designed, which could expand from headphones into a full holographic interface including infrared and night vision, with me always. Aiko dubbed it the Holoview and she and Mei quickly designed personalized copies for themselves. This allowed us to access FlutterByte anywhere, ensuring that we were prepared for any situation. The AI’s nature ensured that it could provide both the technical brilliance needed for complex situations and the calming reassurance that helped me stay focused and confident.
Even though Power Loader complained about us, we found him in the workshop with us more days than not, helping with advice and teaching us how to use certain tools.
I was finishing up with an update on our completed tasks when Mei walked up with her tonfa prototype. Her design far exceeded my original concept. Sleek, balanced, non‑lethal stun channels braided through the cores. A aspis‑style* shield unfolded from nested panels with a clack that made my heart stop in the best way.
Then a panel slid and a blade whispered out.
When I saw the lethal option, I shook my head. “I can’t use these, Mei. Heroes shouldn’t kill. I can’t be like St-Endeavor.” I knew Aizawa heard the stumble, and he came closer with a grim look on his face. He placed a hand on my shoulder, his eyes serious but understanding.
“Izuku, no true hero enters an encounter wanting to use lethal force,” Aizawa began, his voice steady. “It’s always the last resort. But sometimes, you don’t have a choice. Even All Might has had to make that decision in his career.”
I looked up, eyes wide with a mix of fear and determination.
“I hope you never have to make that choice,” Aizawa continued, his grip on my shoulder tightening slightly. “But you need to have it available. Not because you plan to use it. Because if the day comes, you won’t have time to wish you’d packed it. Remember, a hero’s duty is to protect, and sometimes that means ending the threat permanently.” Aizawa finished off his speech by pulling out a knife similar to the one I had pulled on him during our first meeting.
I nodded slowly, absorbing his words. “I understand. I’ll keep that in mind.”
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Aizawa
After I’d taken over watching the kids the workshop felt…alive. The low buzz of a soldering iron. The hiss of a cooling fan. The soft rhythm of three different projects breathing at once.
Izuku hunched over the bench with a grappling hook prototype, cable spooled in a neat figure‑eight, a smear of graphite on his cheek where he’d scratched without noticing. He was muttering about torque, and anchor loads under his breath.
Good process. Wrong tool.
I stepped up beside him, tapping the aluminum prong with a knuckle. “You should scrap the grappling hook,” I advised. “They break easily and don’t fit with the fighting style you’ve been developing.”
He looked up, surprised. “But I thought it would help with mobility.”
I nodded. “It might, but I think my capture weapon would suit you better. I’ve already trained you on my style, so you pick it up quickly. It aligns with your combat approach and will give you an edge in versatility. I’ll add lessons to teach you how to use it into our agenda for you, if that sounds good?”
“Really? That would be amazing!” His eyes widened, bright and weightless. He pivoted, practically bouncing as he called across the room to the girls. “Hey, girls! Dad’s gonna teach me how to use his capture scarf!”
The world didn’t stop.
The solder still hissed. The cooling fan still pushed warm air across the table. The girls looked up, not at the word but at the promise of new training, and started firing questions, voices overlapping in a harmless tangle.
But inside my head, everything went very, very quiet.
Dad?
Not Dadzawa. Not the teasing nickname they tossed around whenever I confiscated junk food or made them sleep before midnight. This landed lower, under the ribs, where breath is supposed to be.
My fingers found the edge of the workbench and held. The floor felt too close. The lights too harsh.
Don’t get attached.
Too late.
You aren’t worthy.
I know.
As I slipped out the room, I heard Aiko cheer and Mei ask if she could see the design to see if it would improve one of her babies.
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Inko
“Young Suye is doing much better with her anxiety. I will recommend-” A knock interrupted me and I paused my medical notes recording and closed the folder.
Who could that be?
“Come in!” I said cheerfully.
“Inko, we need to talk.”
He filled my doorway like a storm that had decided to be polite. Shota always wore calm like armor and kept his emotions closed off and hidden, but his tells are there for the observant: the set of his jaw, the way he measures a room before he measures himself, …the flinches when he shows ‘too much’ emotion.
Something has him scared.
My office was tiny and unapologetic, pictures everywhere. Izuku with gap‑toothed grins and scabby knees; a skewed expo pass; the kindergarten drawing of a hero uniform with too many pockets. Steam curled from my mug. The room quickly smelled like citrus and nerves.
He stood there for too long.
Breathe, Shota. It’s me.
“Izuku called me ‘Dad’ just now,” he said. I would have smiled if he wasn’t so anxious.
I was wondering when he’d hear it.
“I didn’t intend to create confusion or overstep your role. It’s only logical I correct it. I am very sorry-”
“Aizawa-” I frowned as I realized he was worrying about all the wrong things.
“-I will formalize the support I’m providing so I don’t make similar oversteps, and if there are boundaries you prefer-”
“Aizawa-”
“-I’ll adjust immediately. I never meant to-”
“Shota.” I spoke with motherly authority.
That stopped him. He looked at me, and the broken look of worry behind his eyes was something I recognized. The kind of look you only get when you care too much and are terrified of admitting it.
“What do you think about Izuku calling you Dad?” I asked.
He hesitated, only a breath, and then told the truth.
“He’s the best kid I’ve ever met,” he admitted. “I don’t want to hurt either of you by promising more than I can give, but … I want to be there every step of the way. For better or worse.”
Something in my chest let go. Not relief, recognition. This man showed up. He trained my son and made him brave without making him cruel. He saw the way Izuku saw the world and called it strength.
Don’t hope.
You’re wrong.
He’ll leave just like he did.
He hasn’t…he won’t.
“You’ve trained him and watched over him and encouraged his dream. As far as I, and obviously Izuku, are concerned, you earned the title.” I said, gentle but not fragile. I saw him wanting to deny it, but I stared him down before asking the only important question, “Aizawa Shota…will you be his dad?”
The words landed in him. His eyes said he understood this was a lifetime commitment. I could see him remembering every late night, every scrape and bruise, every smile. I watched his smile grow before he met my gaze with determination.
“Yes, if he wants me to be, I want to be his dad.”
I beamed at him, then opened my drawer. The forms I’d kept ready slid forward with a soft whisper. Shota opened the folder, and his eyes grew wide. He looked at me in shock, I simply raised my eyebrow with a smile, “You think that was the first time he called you that? I knew it was only a matter of time before you heard him say it.” I saw his eyes turn misty and knew this was the right choice.
“We’ll tell him together. No promises you can’t keep. I’ll hold him to his chores; you hold him to his training.” I let the corner of my mouth tilt. “Deal?”
“Deal.” His voice was stead, surer of himself then I had ever seen.
Glad to have you, Shota.
I reached to touch his forearm, light, certain. “Thank you for loving my son…and welcome to the family.”
He nodded, eyes clear now. “I’ll get back to the workshop.”
“Go on,” I said, warmth filling my voice. “Dad.”
The title didn’t throw him. It settled, like it had been looking for somewhere to live.
He left, and I sat with the steam of my tea and the feeling of a door we had both opened.
A father worthy of the name.
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Izuku
Near the end of the project, I found myself alone and feeling hurt.
Everyone blew me off today
Mei and Aiko told me they were having a girls/shopping for new tools day and my uncles and aunt said they were all picking up shifts. My mom said she wanted to deep clean the house and that I should go explore for a few hours. Recovery Girl restricted me from the school completely due to a lice outbreak and Nezu said he had paperwork to complete.
Maybe everyone is actually just getting sick of having the qui-
I slapped my forehead to stop that thought in its tracks.
The last year proved none of them would do that to me. I won’t doubt them!
I shook the last of the darkness from my mind as FlutterByte went off in my ear. I tapped to accept the message and heard Aiko’s panicked voice come through “Izuku! We need your help please!” I snapped open the full holoview and located them... at my house?
I can ask questions later! They need me!
I climbed up the building next to me and raced across the rooftops. I arrived home in record time and busted in the door as I drew my knife. The entire house was dark before the lights all turned on at once and someone hidden behind the door plucked the knife out of the air when I threw it at all the noise.
“SURPRISE!!!” Many voices shouted at once as I was still blinded by the lighting change. My vision cleared to show almost everyone I cared about waiting under a huge green banner that said ‘SURPRISE!!’
I heard a scoff behind me: Aizawa completing my loved ones collection. “I told them surprising someone who always carries a knife was a bad idea.”
“Oh whatever you managed to catch it didn’t you? Plus we’re heroes I think we can handle a knife throw” Hizashi said from across the room. Aizawa opened his mouth, and I spoke up since I knew they could argue for hours, and I wanted answers.
“What is all this for? Why are you throwing me a surprise party?” I asked.
Everyone’s faces fell a little bit and I felt inexplicably guilty.
What did I do?
“Sigh I told you he forgot.”
“It explains why he didn’t see it coming.”
Before I could get mad at them talking about me my mom came forward and hugged me. “Sweetie, do you know what day it is?” I thought about it but I honestly didn’t know the date.
“Flutter what’s today’s date?” I asked.
“It’s July 15th Zuku” My mouth opened in a perfect O as I realized.
“It’s my birthday. I guess I forgot huh?” I asked rubbing my head sheepishly. I was so fixated on my Hero uniform that I forgot this year. Everyone nodded, smiling. “Sorry, everyone this looks incredible! Thank you!” I beamed at everyone but then frowned.
Why does everyone in my life just carry sunglasses now?
As I stood there, taking in the vibrant decorations and the joyful atmosphere, I felt a mix of disbelief and gratitude. Everyone had come together to celebrate with me, and it was overwhelming in the best way possible. The laughter, the music, and the familiar faces filled me with warmth.
When Aiko floated over, her butterfly wings shimmering, I couldn’t help but smile. “I knew you’d forget, but we couldn’t let your birthday go uncelebrated!” Her enthusiasm was contagious, and it made me feel special.
Himiko’s mischievous grin as she held up the cupcake topped with a sparkler made me chuckle. “Let’s make this a birthday to remember!” I appreciated her playful spirit.
As the gifts were presented, each one felt like a piece of support and friendship. Tensei got me a gadget that would show a hologram of a different hero every hour while Tenya got me autographs from his father and grandfather, both of whom previously held the Ingenium name and
Mr. Kan told me to call him Seki as he handed me an autographed limited-edition statue of himself, “And you better not hurt my little girl.” He growled at me before walking away.
Mei stole my phone and redesigned it to have the best of everything and be indestructible.
Aizawa and Hizashi got me autographs books filled with heroes underground and limelight, while Nemuri made me blush when she handed me an ultrarare figure of her original very risqué uniform. Nezu surprised me when he handed me the deployable energy shield we had been trying to design to finish my hero uniform. He winked and said he had a friend on I-Island who designed it for him. They all showed how well they understood me and my journey, and I was tearing up as I said thank you to everyone.
But then, Aiko and Himiko suddenly grabbed my arms, pulling me away from the festivities. “Come on, we need to talk!” they said in unison, and I was curious about what they had in mind. Right before I left the room, I saw my mom and Nemuri share a look and smile conspiratorially.
Once we were in my room, Aiko looked flustered, and I could sense her nervousness. “We didn’t know what to get you, and we wanted it to be special!” she admitted.
I tried and tell them it’s fine before Himiko interrupted me.
Himiko chimed in, “But you always say it’s fine, so we thought we’d give you this!”
Before I could react, they both leaned in and kissed me on the cheek at the same time. My heart raced, and I was momentarily speechless. “W-What was that for?” I stammered, my cheeks burning but a bigger heat burning in my chest.
“Just because!” Aiko blushed crimson.
Himiko giggled and winked playfully. “You deserve all the love!”
A camera flash went off and all three of us looked up to find the adults watching from the doorway with my mom crying waterfalls mumbling about her boy growing up too fast and Seki glaring at me. We chased the camera around the house sporting bright red faces as the adults played keep away with it.
In that moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness. It wasn’t just about the gifts or the party; it was about the connections I had with these amazing people. They believed in me, and that made all the difference. This birthday was the best yet.
I couldn’t help but smile, feeling a warmth in my heart that made this birthday truly unforgettable.
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Later that night Aizawa had stayed to help us clean up. After we finished my mom surprised me by asking me to sit in the living room with her.
“Is something wrong?” I asked curiously as Aizawa joined us sitting across from me.
“No sweetie we just wanted to talk to you about something.” Mom assured me.
Aizawa cleared his throat and started, “Problem Child, do you remember the other day when I offered to train you in my capture scarf?”
I nodded, “How could I forget a dream come true like that?”
He smiled… without hiding it.
He’s openly smiling?? What’s going on?
“Did you know you called me Dad when you excitedly told the girls?”
“Oh no! Aizawa I-” he held up a hand to interrupt me.
“I’m not upset Izuku. Your mom tells me you have been doing it for a while.” She nodded in confirmation. “My only question is…would you like it if I became your dad?”
Izuku.exe has shut down.
We all sat in silence as they let me process. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize I was going down the wrong rabbit hole.
My mom and Aizawa? When did they start dating? How did they hide it from me? Why did they? Were they worried I wouldn’t approve or that I would care what that bastard who left us wants? He is a little young for her but that doesn’t matter if he makes her happy.
I looked up and realized they were waiting for me to say something. I looked at my mom, “You are happy with him?” She looked at me curiously but nodded with a smile. I looked at Aizawa, “I wish you both hadn’t hid your relationship from me, …however you have my blessing to marry my mom.” I smiled but became even more lost when both their faces went blank.
“…”
“…”
“Bwuhahahahahhahaha!” I watched Aizawa’s face turn beat red while my mom started dying laughing, “Oh Kami! How did we not think of that assumption?” My mom choked out. Aizawa didn’t seem like he could even get that much out. I just looked on in confusion, which seemed to set her off worse.
After she finally stopped laughing Aizawa looked at me with a smirk, “Problem Child as kind and beautiful your mom is I am a little young for her…and happily married.” My face flushed as I realized I completely forgot he was married to Hizashi.
“…in my defense you really let your and Mic’s relationship show at school…which of course is by design but still.” My mom giggled and I shot her a sour look, “So what are you saying?”
Aizawa’s smile gentled. “I’m saying, if you want me…” He handed over a folder. “I’d be honored to be your da- hmmpf” I hit him like a tackle, words coming out in a flood of yeses. “I would love that… Dad.”
He hugged me back, steady and warm. Dad’s smile felt as bright as people say mine is. Over his shoulder, Mom wiped her eyes and laughed softly.
I have a dad.
I thought about everyone at UA, Aiko, Mei, Himiko.
No we have a family.
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Finally, the day came to test my completed suit. I donned it, feeling a surge of pride and gratitude. We had done it. Together, we had achieved the impossible.
As I activated the suit’s features, I couldn’t help but smile. The adaptive armor adjusted seamlessly, the stealth mode was flawless, and the enhanced strength felt natural. The mask fit snugly, and the AI assistant’s voice and quest-like markers in the Holoview guided me through the tests we had programmed.
My version of Aizawa’s scarf was a little different as we made it conductive so I could shock my captured opponents with a built-in electric charger, and the energy shield, which could be detached to protect others, soothed my protective instincts. Mei’s tonfas were always at the ready deploying from below my arms and I had first aid supplies and knives in places Recovery Girl and Aizawa recommended for easy access in tight quarters.
My communication system, synced with FlutterByte’s network, had dispensable communicators for impromptu team-ups was built into my mask and was the finishing touches on a suit that was nothing short of miraculous. And this was only the protype to prove we could do it. We knew I’d need a completely new suit when I entered UA, so all the designs were made adjustable to allow sizing up.
After a lot of trial-and-error Himiko had finally found something, she could be passionate about: Uniform Design. After introducing her to ‘Aunt Nem’ she hit the ground running. She and Nemuri took to each other instantly and they delved into Project Himiko: Top Tier Designer. Her ability to transform into the person she was designing for allowed her to do all the adjustments perfectly with a single vial of blood.
There’s no one else I trust to design my suit’s aesthetics
Himiko and the girls bonded while working on implementing her design. The nanoweave was dyed emerald green with obsidian accents and red-light lines traveling the contours of the suit. The mask had a feral grin painted on it. When I asked why I was told quote ‘no paint could mimic my ‘sun smile’’ as everyone had taken to calling it. It's better to have the mask intimidate criminals and let my real smile calm civilians. The boots and gloves were emerald green with steel-tipped knuckles and steel-toes, adding extra impact to my moves. As I stood there, my heart swelling with pride, I knew that with friends like mine, nothing was impossible. We had proven that together we could overcome any challenge.
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The test lane in Gym Gamma lit up with red markers. FlutterByte’s voice warmed my ear. “Scenario update: five hostiles, one civilian. Left catwalk, right stairwell, mezzanine overwatch. One unit watching cameras hooked to a knockout gas system. A sniper drone swept the area.
I flexed my hands; the exoskeleton hummed along my spine and into my calves, a quiet, confident thrum.
I sprinted to the catwalk first. Tonfas deployed from their docks with that satisfying click. “Stun mode.” The lookout pivoted, too slow; the charge kissed his ribs and folded him neatly.
“Shield,” FlutterByte responded instantly.
The shield popped out, and I let it skate across the floor, locking open in front of the civilian dummy.
“Electrify,” I muttered. My scarf let off a low hum.
I flicked my scarf out and wrapped around my target. The charge crawled into the second target’s frame. He sagged without drama.
“Camo,” FlutterByte confirmed then provided an update: Three hostiles remaining.
Stealth mode bloomed across my suit, emerald fading to the mezzanine’s gray‑green. My footfalls went from quiet to nonexistent. I ghosted under the mezzanine, mapped their chatter in my ear. The sniper drone rotated; I waited for it to pass, then pulsed the tonfa’s roman shield and used an old favorite. I threw the shield at the handler. He crumpled, the drone clattering to a harmless swivel.
The alarm went off as I slinked into the shadows.
“Hazard,” FlutterByte said, calm as ocean. “Aerosol release in four… three…”
“Seal,” I whispered. The mask kissed my cheeks and locked. Positive pressure engaged; the taste of clean oxygen settled cool on the back of my throat.
“…two… one.”
Pale vapor flowered across the lane, curling toward the civilian’s shielded bubble.
The camera guard came charging, insulated gloves, grounded boots, defenses against my scarf. I ducked low and rose inside his guard. My tonfa cracked across his head.
“Last hostile, approaching from stairwell landing,” FlutterByte said. “Elevated heart rate, radio traffic.”
I went vertical. The exo made the ten-foot leap up easy. I stood stock-still on the catwalk He spun around directly under me. My scarf shot out. I wrapped, yanked, and tied the scarf around the rail. His feet kicked wildly before he went limp.
The lights brightened, “Well done. Seems the suit works perfectly.” Nezu’s voice sounded from above.
I breathed through the mask. Everything felt like it belonged where it was.
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The last couple weeks of summer vacation flew by, filled with laughter, hard work, and the joy of creation. As Aiko and Mei prepared to leave, I felt a pang of sadness but also a deep sense of gratitude.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice full of emotion. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Mei grinned. “Of course you could have. But it was more fun doing it together.”
Aiko smiled. “We’ll always be here for you, Izu. No matter what.”
As we hugged goodbye, I knew that this was just the beginning. With my new suit and the support of my friends, I was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. And even if we were apart, I knew the bonds we’d kindled wouldn’t fade. They’d burn forever.