A Silent Kind of Strength

Chapter 7

The rest of the week flew by in a flurry of studying, memes, harsh words, and explosions. Having friends, and dodging their questions about any bruises and burns that peeked out from his clothes, was quickly becoming part of his routine. And he wondered how he did without friends for so long.

Saturday morning dawned bright and warm. Summer making itself known. Izuku couldn't wait for summer vacation. So much free time. No more having to sit through classes he'd already mastered. No more lunch period hide and seek. And more time to spend on his studies.

Soon.

He packed his bag full of his notebooks and the parts he was planning on using that day. He dressed in what are becoming his tinkering clothes. An old pair of cargo shorts and a long sleeved black t-shirt. The shorts are already covered in small grease stains and a burn mark from when he had accidently dropped a soldering iron last week. Oh! He should pack that as well to return it to Mei.

He slid a zip lock bag of palmieri he had made the night before into the front pocket of his backpack in an attempt to not crush them. He had quickly found that Mei loved to have things to munch within arms reach when she was brainstorming. And what better brain food than buttery sweet heaven?

He tapped his feet into his shoes and started off to the shop at an easy trot. Why not get some exercise in while he was at it?

It was only 15 minutes before he was pushing the door open and heading to the button on the desk. He would have just gone straight back like the Hatsumes' kept insisting, but the work and warehouse area was a veritable maze. It was just easier to use the fog horn and let his friend come to him than to try and find where she was in the twisting corridors of shelving and projects.

To his surprise though, before Mei could appear from her hiding place, the front door opened once again. He turned in surprise, most of the shop's customers ordered online and made use of the offered delivery services; he had yet to see another customer come in.

Oh. That wasn't a customer.

"Shinso?" He asked in confusion. The exhausted looking teen waved with a yawn and Izuku had to ask. "What are you doing here?"

"Mhh. The maniac stole my phone number yesterday during lunch. She wouldn't stop harassing me last night until I agreed to come hang out with you two." The freckled haired teen tilted his head, considering the reply and trying not to be jealous about them hanging out at school. 

"I'm sorry in advance then." He said, laying it on heavy with the fake remorse. And spinning to face the large glass door as Mei burst through with her usual exuberance. "Are you ready to make babies?!"

Izuku laughed to himself as he and his purple compatriot were dragged bodily into the bowels of the massive building. 

The next couple of hours were almost dream-like to the greenette. He was having a lot of fun. Mei had only made one thing explode, she seemed to try and tone down the combustible projects around him. He wondered if he had flinched too noticeably once or if she was doing it subconsciously. As the two tinker trolls set up a 3d printer to cast new casings for his project their friend came back from his hunt for the coffee machine. It seems he was victorious as he was carrying three chipped coffee cups filled to the brim.