Behind the Smile | TodoBakuDeku | Book 1

Chapter 25

Third Person POV

Mei's sudden interruption caught the three of them off guard, but it also provided a much-needed distraction from their heavy conversation. Midoriya wiped away his tears and looked up at her, curious. "What do you have in mind, Mei?" Mei grinned, "I've been working on a new gadget that I think you'll love." She gestured for them to follow her to her workbench, and they obliged.

As they walked, Midoriya couldn't help but feel grateful for his two boyfriends. Even though he was struggling, they were always there to support him and lift him up. And with Mei's help, maybe he could focus on something other than his own worries for a while. At Mei's workbench, Mei beamed and picked up a small device. "Here it is!"

Bakugo raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite himself. "What exactly is it?"

Mei's grin widened. "It's a device that can enhance your quirks!"

Todoroki looked skeptical. "How does it work?"

Mei launched into an explanation of the device, detailing how it could analyze a person's quirk and enhance its capabilities by temporarily increasing their power output. Midoriya watched with fascination as she spoke, his worries momentarily forgotten.

Bakugo, on the other hand, was skeptical. "How safe is this thing?"

Mei's expression turned serious. "It's still in the testing phase, but I've run multiple simulations and made sure it's safe for use."

Bakugo crossed his arms, still not convinced. "And what's the catch?"

Mei shrugged. "Well, it does have a limited battery life, so it can only be used for a certain amount of time before it needs to be recharged. And it's not exactly discreet, so it's not something you can use in public without drawing attention to yourself."

Bakugo rolled his eyes. "So it's not exactly practical."

Mei pouted. "Well, it's still a work in progress. I just thought you guys might be interested in trying it out."

Todoroki smiled. "We appreciate the offer, Mei. We'll definitely keep it in mind."

Midoriya nodded in agreement. "Yeah, thank you, Mei. It sounds really cool."

Mei beamed. "No problem! Let me know if you change your mind."

While Mei continued to show off her other inventions, Midoriya wandered off to explore the rest of the department. As he walked around, he couldn't help but notice the various support items scattered around the room. From prosthetic limbs to communication devices, the support department had an impressive array of gadgets designed to help heroes in their missions. Midoriya couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as he looked at the various gadgets, wishing he had something that could help him control the effects of Psycho Flip's curse. Then again, if that was an option he was sure Aizawa would have already looked into it.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice someone approaching him until they spoke. "Hey, Midoriya, right?" He turned to see an instructor he didn't recognize at first standing next to him. "I'm Hatsume's teacher and Pro-Hero Power Loader. What brings you here?"

Midoriya hesitated for a moment while attempting to hold back from fan-boying before responding. "Uh, just checking things out, I guess. I'm a hero student, and I was curious about the support department."

Power Loader nodded. "I see. Well, if you're ever interested in getting some custom gear, feel free to hit me up. I specialize in hydraulic systems and exoskeletons."

Midoriya's eyes widened in excitement. "Really? That sounds amazing!"

He continued to take in the sights when he noticed a glass door leading to a completely empty, white room. "What is this room for?" He began to open the door, when Hatsume came up behind him and quickly closed it.

"Don't want to accidentally get locked in there," she said. "We'd have a hard time getting you out. I was experimenting with the idea of a portable safe room, but there are a lot of kinks I need to work out first. The most important one being the only way out is by entering a secret code from the inside, but I haven't made a way to get in from the outside once it closes."

Midoriya nodded, a little taken aback by the potential danger. "That sounds...interesting," he said hesitantly. Hatsume grinned at him. "Yeah, it's a work in progress. But I think I'll get it eventually." Midoriya couldn't help but admire her determination. Even if her ideas were a little unconventional, he could tell that she was truly passionate about her work. As they continued their tour, he couldn't get that room out of his head.

He wondered what other types of unique and potentially dangerous inventions Hatsume was working on. Despite the potential risks, he couldn't help but be intrigued by the idea of portable safe rooms. The thought of having a secure, impenetrable space to retreat to during a mission was appealing.

As they made their way through the department, Midoriya couldn't shake the feeling of inadequacy that had been nagging at him since his encounter with Psycho Flip. He couldn't help but compare himself to all of the other amazing students at UA. By the time he caught up with Bakugo and Todoroki, he was mentally exhausted. Having tried to kill himself only 48 hours ago, that was to be expected.

Bakugo and Todoroki noticed the fatigue in Midoriya's eyes and knew it was time to head back to their dorm. As they made their way through the halls of UA, Midoriya couldn't help but feel like he was letting his boyfriends down by not being able to keep up with them. But Bakugo and Todoroki were quick to reassure him that they didn't care about his pace, only that he was okay.

When they finally made it back to their dorm, Midoriya collapsed onto his bed with a sigh. Bakugo and Todoroki sat down next to him, both of them looking at him with concern. Midoriya forced a smile. "I'm fine, really. I just...I don't know. I feel like I'm not good enough, you know?"

Bakugo rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid, Izuku. You're one of the strongest people I know." Todoroki nodded in agreement. "And even the strongest people have moments of weakness. It's okay to not be okay sometimes."

Bakugo noticed Midoriya's tired expression and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you're okay, right? No bad thoughts or Dark Deku or anything, right?" Midoriya nodded, not wanting to burden his partners with his struggles. Bakugo didn't buy it. "You sure? You look like you're about to pass out." Todoroki chimed in. "He's right, baby."

"Look, You've been through a lot lately. It's okay to take a break and rest." Midoriya opened his mouth to protest, but Bakugo cut him off. "No arguments. Lay down. We're taking a nap before the meeting tonight." Midoriya knew better than to argue with them.