Two Heroes and A Hustler

6

"How come they let you live off campus?" Hatsume asks.

The two are walking down the crowded hall in between classes, a little hard to hear each other over all the chatter, "I don't."

"Really? What dorms are you staying in?"

He recognizes Shinsou's purple hair coming out of Mr. Aizawa's classroom, which only makes him walk faster to the workshop. He could only assume that Bakugo was in the same class, and he did not have the patience to deal with that asshole.

"I'm staying in Mr. Aizawa and Mr. Yamada's apartment."

The girl stops in her tracks, not even trying to hide her curiosity, "Why?"

"I'm a criminal, remember? I was arrested so it was either this or jail."

"Living with two pros? I bet it's a lot of fun!" The bell rings, and just as Power Loaders about to close the door he pulls his two students into the room.

The tension hadn't eased up since Deku's little outburst. Still, he wasn't terribly upset. He hadn't come here to make friends, and he definitely didn't want to be friends with bullies. He may be a criminal, but even he has standards.

The class gets to work on their project, which just leaves Deku to stare at his blank chalkboard. His teacher approaches him, pulling up a stool, "So, found any inspiration yet?"

The teenager shakes his head, prompting the man to ask, "Well, what kinds of things have you made before?"

"Nothing I can make here," he chuckles.

"Fair, fair. Alright then, what do you want to make?"

"I don't know."

Projects were always just laid out in front of him. Whether it be a small mechanism that releases drugs as an aerosol, or a gun with interchangeable canister sizes for different ammunition, he never had to think about it. He was given the basic concept and he was able to develop the blueprints and watch it come into reality. But coming up with an idea on his own, impossible.

"Okay, I want you to think of what people need then. What invention does the world need?"

Needs.

His brain runs through the basics, food, water, shelter, clothes, but all of his ideas were either impossible due to the laws of physics or idiotic. Until he remembers, "What about... a heated blanket?"

Power Loader doesn't ask, giving him a few seconds to explain, "Except, I don't want it to be powered electrically, not everyone has consistent access. I could try solar energy but that doesn't help too much when it's raining or snowing when people need warmth. I've done a little research on thermoelectricity but I don't know how credible or safe that kind of technology is..."

He mutters his thoughts aloud for the next few minutes, not even noticing the man beside him taking notes for him. When he loops back around to thermodynamics in a more broad sense, he finally stops, looking at his teacher, "Is this going to be too difficult for a first project?"

"Probably," he answers with a grin. He pushes the boys empty composition notebook towards him, "But as soon as you start, you'll have a thousand other ideas. I want you to write every one of them down, even if they're impossible. Most students have three or four projects going on at once, especially with the first year hero courses in the middle of their work studies."

"What does that mean?"

"I renegotiated with Nezu about what you're allowed to do. Hatsume and you will be working together with... Hatsume?" He calls the girl over. She peeks her head around the corner, tilting her helmet up, "What hero students are you working with?"