The Tinker

Chapter 6 - Tea

All Might had asked to meet up with Y/N that morning and discuss her predicament. The hero himself was the one who invited her to Japan. Y/N still wasn't entirely sure why, but she hoped this conversation would shed some light on the situation.

He had welcomed her into his office with open arms and a giant smile. After some polite small talk and some weirdly validating compliments, All Might sat back in his chair.

"I'm sure you have many questions for me," He said, picking up his cup of tea. "I know I would if I were in your shoes. I apologize for pulling you from the hospital in the middle of your recovery. You deserved more time to... well, you know. But I didn't want anyone dangerous knowing where you were."

"Anyone dangerous?" She questioned, looking at him nervously.

"Your run-in with All For One was terrible, of course, but considering you made it out in one piece.. you're luckier than many," he said slowly, caution laced in his voice. Y/N could tell he was trying to be gentle with her. "The reason I pulled you away from America... I wanted to keep an eye on you. All For One doesn't like loose ends." Bitterness was written all over his face. "Not many people understand his determination."

Y/N looked down at her shoes. She hadn't talked with anybody about what had happened. It was... nice. "So... I take it there's nothing that can be done then," Y/N breathed. "About my quirk, I mean."

"I'm sorry, young Y/N. I wish there was something more I could do to help," All Might responded, leaning forward in his chair. She could tell he was genuine in the way he looked at her. He knew how she felt. "You're too young to go through something like this."

"I'm 18 already," Y/N laughed, offering him a smile.

"That's still young! When I was 18, I barely knew anything," he said, scratching the back of his head and laughing with her. Y/N took a sip of the tea he had offered her. It had way too much sugar in it, which for some reason wasn't a surprise coming from All Might.

"Is there... can I still be..." Y/N wasn't sure how to even ask the question, or even what she was asking.

"A hero?" He said, tilting his head. "Well... a quirk isn't a requirement, if that's what you're asking." He turned to look out the window at the campus. "I would recommend meeting up with Midoriya. I think he would offer some advice that you'd find reassuring."

"Izuku?" Y/N questioned, finding it a bit funny. "But... why him?"

"Well, I think you should ask him yourself," he said. He took another sip and turned back to her. "I know it can be difficult adjusting to this new life of yours, especially with the kind of quirk you had. But I know for a fact that you are incredibly gifted in engineering."

"I don't know if it's good enough to make a living, let alone a name for myself in the higher ranks."

"Behind every hero there's an engineer that's the foundation of their success, especially with tricky quirks. Relying too heavily on offense is dangerous. Gear provides reassurance and stability," he said. "Besides, I think... I think those kids really need you."

Y/N tried not to laugh at that. It had only been a few days, but she had to agree with All Might. Some of the gear that her peers had were shoddy, to say the least. Her mind began to wander to the different possibilities, but she shook her head to remain focused. "What happens when they graduate?"

"Well, if you've helped them in the way I know you can, then they'll go on to make the world a better place. If you decide to go back to America once it's safe for you, I'm sure they'd understand; but I think, with the quality of your work, there might be some agencies here that would snatch you up quickly."

An engineer, full time?

~~~

Later that night, Y/N was in her dorm room with Kaminari getting his measurements. "Fucking hold still!" She barked. This man had been wiggling left and right the entire time, chatting up a storm.

"I'm sorry! I'm just a fidgety dude--WOAH THERE!"

Y/N had yanked him forward with the fabric measuring tape she was holding. "You keep moving away! I won't bite, I promise." She tightened it around his waist and read the measurement, writing it down.

"What if I want you to bite?" he flirted, putting his hands on his hips.

He'd been like this for ages, trying to poke and prod and tease her at every turn. It was starting to get annoying-- not because she disliked him, per say, but more because Kaminari was so clearly fawning after somebody else. Why did he insist on flirting with her? 

Y/N glared up at him, finally reaching her limit. "Wouldn't you rather Jirou do that?" 

His face turned bright red.

"Wha--I don't--" 

"Sure man, keep denying. I only met you guys a few days ago, but I know a crush when I see one," she deadpanned. 

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

Y/N was already laughing. "C'mon, I'm not a snitch. You've got nothin' to worry about. I've got what I need now though, I'll let you know when it's done."

Kaminari stormed to her door and threw it open, only to scream when he saw a menacing Bakugou standing in the doorway. Denki pushed past him and booked it down the hall, away from the whole situation.

"Watch it, dumbass!" Bakugou roared after him. He whipped his head back to look at Y/N, who was still laughing. "The fuck was that about?"

"Just getting his measurements," she said, standing up and writing down the info from her measuring tape. 

"What kind of measurements? The fucker was bright red," Bakugou joked.

"Oh, nothing like that," she retorted, turning to him. "What are you doing in my room, huh? Missed me that much?"

He rolled his eyes. "Mina made me come get you for dinner. Shitty Hair is gonna try and barbeque or something."

"Ah," she said. "I'll be down in a sec."

"Don't lose track of time again, Tinkerbell," he snapped. "I'm not waiting for you."