A State of Decay

Chapter 31

Izuku packs both of his hero suits into a duffel bag before heading to Mei's workshop. He has things from each costume he'd like to be integrated into one, so he decided to bring them both. Upon his arrival, Izuku knocks on the door, and she buzzes him inside. As soon as the door opens, he's hit with a warm cloud of hazy air and the sound of heavy machinery working in the background. 

He holds his arm out to shield his eyes and heads into the dusty room, using the sparks from Mei's welder as a beacon to show his final destination. He gets closer and Mei finally comes into view. She flips her goggles up to the top of her head and waves Izuku over. 

"Hey, sorry about the mess!" she shouts over the machinery running behind her. She motions for Izuku to follow her, and he does so without question as she takes him through a door and into another room. "Had a bit of a malfunction with one of my newer babies! Large crowd control stuff. Gas launcher. Should be easy, but it's been pissing me off!" 

The room she led them to was a small office with a desk and a couch. A few random retro hero posters litter the walls, and a tall stack of papers sits on top of the desk. Mei flops down on the grungy, blue sofa. 

"So, whachya got for me?" she says, wiping some of the dirt from her face. She has goggle-shaped Imprints on her face from all the dust in the air earlier that she tries to wipe away. Before Izuku can even answer, she reaches forward, slides the duffel out from under his arm, and unzips it. "Your old suit is in here! Does that mean what I think it means?" 

"If what you're asking is if I'm going back to normal hero work, then yes," he replies as she holds up the old suit. 

"Thank God," she groans. "I spend a good amount of time worrying about your ass. You're too reckless, Izuku."

He chuckles and rubs the back of his head. "I'm trying not to be that way anymore."

"Good. You worry everyone too much, you know. So lay it on me; what are you looking to get done?"

Well, I want to go back to my old colors, but I want the newer upgrades from the black suit integrated into the old one."

"I can do that!" she says. "I've got a few other ideas in mind, too! I've been wanting to get you some major upgrades for a while now." She swipes her arms out over her desk, clearing a space in the middle. She lays both suits down next to each other and lays the support gear on top before taking a step back to eye them. "If you're really going back into the actual hero business, this is your official debut, you know." 

Izuku's stomach twists just thinking about it. Yeah, he'd fought in the war, so everyone knows who he is, but he was just a student back then. Things are different now. If he's really doing this, he's going to be entering the ranking system for the first time. It's a lot to think about and jump into so suddenly. 

"All that means is I gotta make you look good. Not that you already don't!" she says, her eyes lit up as she holds up various pieces of Izuku's two costumes. "When do you need this done by?"

"Next Monday?" he asks with a cheesy smile. He knows that's a large ask. His green suit doesn't even really fit him anymore, so almost everything is going to have to be made from scratch. 

"That's a tall order," she says, raising an eyebrow. "But you came to the right place! I'll have it done for you by then. Now, get out and let me work!" 

She shoos him out after that. 

* * * 

The next day, Izuku is at the mall, hunting for something to give Tomura for his birthday. He has his boyfriend blocked from his mind to make sure that whatever he finds for him will be an actual surprise.