Hero costume design!! I've changed it like 10 times in the past 5 days so I'm praying this is the last version 🥲

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The ringing of my alarm jolted me awake like a shock of electricity. Flinging forward, I sucked in gulps of air as if I'd been starved of it. A cold sweat prickled across my skin, leaving my sheets and pillows damp.

It wasn't a pleasant sensation, but it was one I was used to. For as long as I could remember, I would wake up feeling like I'd run a marathon instead of slept. A racing heartbeat, pounding headache, and burning lungs were like my Good Morning! I suspected the cause was nightmares, but if that were the case, they were nightmares I could never recall.

I wiped my hands down my face, letting out a long groan. "I hate mornings..."

Especially this one.

Last night, once I'd completed my daily exercises, I'd received a summons to the Chairwoman's office. The thought filled me with dread. Just as easily as it could be a simple routine checkup, I knew there was always a chance I was deep in trouble.

Did they find out that I had pizza delivered to the facility? Or maybe that I was the one that broke the third floor's coffee machine?

I vowed to never sneak into the office again. Goodbye forever, instant french-vanilla, my first love...

I showered quickly, (cold water to soothe my nerves), watched a ten-minute tutorial on "tying ties for idiots" twice, still managed to fuck up my own, and was ready to go within the half-hour.

I glanced around my sorry excuse for an apartment one last time. The facility hadn't been built with much comfort in mind. If it weren't for the countless hero memorabilia that decorated the walls, my room would feel more like a jail cell than home.

None of decorations or furniture here actually belonged to me, but that's a story for another time.

To get to the chairwoman's office, I had to first walk through the gym, with its white walls, floor, and big one-way mirrors for examinations. Then I made my way down one hallway, up a flight of stairs, and took an elevator up another floor. I had to switch elevators once more, ride it to the top, and then my destination would be at the end of a long hallway.

My index finger began tapping rhythmically against my thigh, in sync with the thud-thud, thud-thudding of my heartbeat. The elevator made its way too slowly to the top floor, as cheesy music played quietly from somewhere overhead. A man stood by the doors, his bald head reflecting the fluorescent lights directly into my eyes; a sight almost as nauseating as his overpowering cologne.

When he finally got off, there were four floors left to my destination. I counted them down until the bell dinged. My heart began to race as I stepped into the hall. The office I was about to enter brought back some... let's say, less than stellar memories.

The hallway was lit only by the large windows trailing along the side, surveying the cityscape spread down below. I walked as far away from the stomach-churning sight as possible, keeping my eyes trained straight ahead.

I never liked being far from the ground.

I reached the end of the hall, and attempted to adjust my shitty tie once more. Sucking a calming breath through my cheeks, I raised my fist, and knocked.

"Come in."

The office was far darker than the hall. Either side of the room was lined bookshelves decorated with various awards and modern art pieces I couldn't hope to decipher. They drew my attention briefly, before my eyes trailed to the desk across from me, and more importantly, the imposing person who sat at it.

As the Chairwoman took me in, the only change in her expression was the faintest twitch of her brow. I might've thought she was pumped with botox, but hers was an all-natural beauty. Her ash-blonde hair, styled gelled away from her face, was streaked with silver, and facial wrinkles marked her middle age – even a few laugh lines, which came as a surprise, because I didn't think I'd ever seen her smile.

No, there was no botox or 'special product' involved in her lack of expression. It was purely intentional, and as always, it scared the hell out of me.

I bowed my head respectfully, my hands folded across my chest. "Madam President," I greeted, despite the anxious bobbing in my throat. "You... wanted to see me?"

Please don't look at the tie. Please don't look at the tie.

Rarely did I speak to the Chairwoman in person – her intentions were communicated well enough through the various workers beneath her. On top of that, we both maintained strict, stringent schedules, with hardly any time for meetings dubbed anything less than urgent.

In my world, urgency was never a good thing.

The Chairwoman rose from her chair, her hands flicking out to straighten the lapels of her shiny black blazer. "Akiharu," she said. I wondered how a name could sound so empty, so... nameless on a person's tongue. "Your regular classes begin today?"

I went with the safe response. "Yes, ma'am."

She nodded, her piercing cool blue eyes as steely and unrevealing as ever. "Very well," she said. "Ensure you maintain your progress – whether that be in school, or out. You will still be participating in the monthly tests."

"Yes ma'am."

"You're excused."

I bowed deeply, and returned to the door. I was itching to get the hell out of there.

"Akiharu," the Chairwoman called once more, her voice deeply chilling. "Always be sure to represent yourself properly."

"Of course, ma'am."

"That means wearing your tie properly."

"...Right."

Fuck my life.

I leaned against the door once it shut, letting my eyes flutter closed. At least it wasn't about the coffee machine.

Still, her words echoed in my mind as I exited the building.

Represent yourself.

The thought followed me all the way to the station and floated overhead on the crowded train. It still lingered as made it to U.A. and completed my morning classes – English with Present Mic and Math with Ectoplasm.

Represent yourself.

I knew what the Chairwoman really meant was something closer to "represent us." Perhaps simply "represent me."

But it'd hardly be professional to put that into words, now would it?

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Lunch tray in hand, I wearily scanned the bustling crowds. U.A. students were welcome to eat off-campus, but very little did, thanks to the cafeteria. Cafeteria food was generally renowned to be terrible, but such wasn't the case at U.A.. Here, food was made by the Number One Cook Hero (whatever that meant) Lunch Rush.

Unfortunately, with the entire school eating during the same block, it made for an incredibly packed cafeteria.

"Akiharu!" Kirishima had risen to his feet and waved overhead, gesturing me to the table he'd somehow managed to snag. Shoulders slumping with relief, I slipped and weaved through the passing students. As I arrived at the table, I was rather unsurprised to see the cheerful classmate had managed to gather a decent portion of friends already.

There was Hanta Sero with the tape Quirk – plain-looking, tall, with ebony hair cropped close to his jaw. Mina Ashido had spoken to me several times already, coloured rosy pink from head to toe, head of short fluffy hair included. Up close, her eyes had a black sclera and an iridescent gold centre, making her unwavering gaze a tad unsettling.

The last was Denki Kaminari, an energetic boy with amber eyes and canary-yellow hair, which was streaked with a rather telling black lightning bolt — His Quirk has something to do with discharging electricity.

"Heya, Akiharu!" Ashido beckoned me over with a delighted smile. "I meant to tell you earlier, but you have a cool Quirk! You scored real high in the apprehension test yesterday! Earthbending? Terrakineses? That's so cool! I'm jealous!"

"Pretty much..."  I pulled into the empty seat across from her, amazed she could get so many words out in a single breath. "You did well, too. You can generate something corrosive from your body?"

"It's acid!" she said. "I can melt stuff!"

Kirishima propped his chin up on his fist, his shark-like teeth flashing with a smile. "We were just talking about class this morning! How'd you like it?"

I shrugged, pushing food around my tray. "It went by fast, but it wasn't terrible..."

"I wish!" complained Kaminari, leaning back in his chair. "I could hardly pay attention. Like, normal class is hard enough, but the hero course curriculum is insane! It flies by in an instant!"

The corners of my mouth twitched upwards. "Imagine dropping out of the hero course 'cause you can't keep up with the academics..." I mumbled toward the table.

"It's not funny!" Kaminari pleaded.

"Why?" Sero's face was split with a wide grin. "'Cause it might really happen?"

"Yes!"

A few snickers escaped through Ashido's hand as she attempted to smother it.  "You're hopeless!"

"Ashido..." Kirishima casted her a sideways glance. "Should you be laughing?"

"Hm?"

"You know..." He spoke slowly, as if treading on thin ice. "You aren't that... academically inclined, either."

"Hey! Your grades weren't much better than mine in junior high!"

"Actually, I might be kind of screwed, too," Sero agreed.

I stared at them in disbelief. "What? Guys, it's still the first day. You can't be that convinced you'll fail, this early on..."

Kaminari turned a teary-eyed gaze my way. "Akiharu... In junior high, I never scored higher than tenth from the bottom... Will I still be okay at the prestigious U.A.?"

My jaw hung loose. Then, closing my eyes, I clapped my hands together and bowed my head in prayer. "Rest in peace."

"Not even you have any hope in me!"

"Hey, at least we have Hero's Basics, next!" Sero chimed in. "Whaddya think we'll be doing?"

Kirishima pounded a fist into the opposite hand. "I hope it's combat related!"

Combat training at U.A.... I was interested to see how the teachers would go about it. "That'd be a nice change of pace," I agreed.

At the mention of Hero's Basics, Kaminari's mood flipped like a switch. "I hope I'll be able to show off my Quirk!" he said. "It wasn't very useful in the physical tests yesterday, so I didn't look cool at all..."

I briefly recalled the moment Kaminari'd overused his Quirk and become, for lack of a better term, a blithering idiot. "Aw, don't worry, Sparky!" I gave his back a pat. "I'm sure you'll have another chance to short-circuit."

Kaminari's pleased expression filled with betrayal in an instant. "Don't say that!" he begged. "I'm actually really strong, I swear!"

My eyes slid away to the passing crowd. "I'll take your word for it..."

"Hey! I can hear your doubt!"

"My bad. I'm sure you'll do great, Kaminari!"

"Now I know you're just mocking me!"

Lost in the small talk, we soon had to rush to deposit our trays and hurry back to class. By the time we made it to 1-A, almost everyone was already in their seats, and an excited air of chatter had fallen over the room. I slipped into my seat not a moment before class began.

"I am... Coming through the door like a Hero!" The classroom door burst open, revealing All Might, Japan's Number One hero. He rose to his full height, dressed in one of his older costumes, waving to the excited students before him. His straw blonde hair was slicked back, save for two stalks which stuck up like prongs from his head.

He truly was a hulking figure, with a height greater than two metres and a body straight out of a bodybuilder's magazine. His unbridled charisma only worked to make him feel larger.

"It's All Might!"

All Might marched over to the lectern, dwarfing it completely, and propped his hands on his hips. "I teach Hero Basic Training!" he proclaimed. "It's a subject where you train in different ways to learn the basics of heroism. During your time at U.A., you'll take the most units on this subject!

"Today, we'll be doing... Combat training!" The hero flashed a blindingly white smile and pointed a remote to the wall. "To go with that are... These! Costumes made based on your Quirk registrations and requests you sent in before school started!"

The stripe decal of the classroom wall was apparently metal shelves. As All Might pressed a button, they extend fully, revealing three vertical rows of numbered briefcases. "So, let's get right into it! After you change, gather in Ground Beta!"

The class stampeded for the cases like wild animals, leaving me to crawl to grab the case labelled 13 from the bottom row. I clutched the briefcase to my chest as we made it out to the hall, skulking close to the girls. I decided I would slip in right after them and explain before they could lock the door on me.

When we were almost at the change rooms, I prepared myself to catch a few punches. I bet Yaoyorozu hits hard when she's flustered... An arm suddenly slung across my shoulders as Kaminari leaned close.

"So, Akiharu! You nervous? Aren't you excited about your costume!"

"Well, um..."

"I can't wait to see it!" he grinned. "I wonder how close they stayed to my design... Apparently U.A. costumes are supposed to be top of the line! Made by real pro designers!"

"Uhuh..." I watched in horror as he pulled me past the girl's locker room and straight toward the boys'. At the last second I grabbed onto the doorframe, narrowly avoiding being dragged in.

"Hm? What's wrong? You the shy type? C'mon man, it's not that bad once you get used to it!"

Oh god. I should've dealt with this yesterday. But how? Quick public announcement about my gender: I'm Actually A Woman!

I gripped the doorframe like it was a life-preserver, my fingers digging deep into the concrete. "No, you dingus! I'm fully a girl!"

It took a solid ten seconds for Kaminari to process that.

As soon as he did, his arm flew off my shoulder like he'd been burned. "Wh– You're– WHAT?" He glanced to the remaining classmates and then back to me, wondering if he was the only one left out of the loop.

Bakugo shoved past me and into the locker room with a cackle. "No wonder no one ever taught you to tie a tie! You're a girl!"

"Hey man, that's not a girl thing!" Kirishima argued, ever the feminist. "Plenty of the girls in our class can tie a tie just fine."

"You're right!" Bakugo's barking laughter grew even louder from inside. "What kind of idiot can't tie a tie!"

I fumed, feeling my face burn with rage. "You don't even wear the damn tie!" I slammed the door shut, dampening the sound of Bakugo's cackles.

If the earth tried to swallow me then and there, I would've let it. Silently, I vowed to pay him back for that later.

"Aki!" Ashido exclaimed, popping up at my shoulder. "You mean, you're a girl?"

"Last I checked?" I mumbled, my ears flushing red. If I'd known that my gender would cause such mass confusion I would've just gone with the goddamned skirt and worn shorts or something.

"But Akiharu is a boy's name!" Chipmunk said as we pushed into the locker room.

I shrugged. "My parents liked it?"

"Ohmgod and I kicked you out yesterday, too!" Ashido wailed, slinging her arms around my waist in a way that was very suddenly very friendly. "This whole time I thought you were just a real pretty boy!"

"Um... Thanks?"

"But I'm so glad you're on our side! In yesterday's test the top ten were like all guys, and it's like, there are strong girls too, but now our class is bringing down the curve!"

Yaoyorozu cleared her throat, glancing nervously to one side.

"Of course, you're super strong, Yaomomo! But I'm glad we've got Aki, too!" Ashido grinned maliciously, pounding one fist into the other. "We're gonna kick the guys' ass in the rankings!"

I smiled thinly as I found a free locker in the corner to finally, finally store my stuff in. "You've certainly got high hopes."

"Hell yeah I do!"

I clicked open my costume case, eyeing the contents skeptically. I'd had to pass my design through the higher-ups many times before I got something they'd allow. They'd wanted something flasher – showier – but with some eagerly-provided design help from a pro-hero I knew, and some reluctantly-provided help from Aizawa, I was able to get something through before the deadline.

'Course, Aizawa's "help" was more criticising whatever he didn't like.

"You don't want so much material there – it's an easy place to grab."

"That looks like a villain costume."

"That's a cop off of mine."

"A cape? Capes are both a tripping hazard and an additional appendage to restrain, toy with, or manipulate. I will never understand why heroes incorporate them into their design. It serves no purpose aside from cheap showmanship. In all forms, it's irrational. You should get rid of it."

Damned Edna Mode kinnie.

While I hadn't put much detail into the physical design, there were a number of small technical details in my notes. So far it looked like they'd included everything important. I found the suit fit like a glove, and the materials were far more comfortable than I could've imagined.

I was pretty happy, all things considered. But as I left the empty locker room, my anxiety began to grow.

The theme of your costume has to clearly communicate the general vibe of your hero persona – Is it classic comic-book, like All Might's, friendly and inviting like a rescue type, or domineering like a combat type? Your costume should allude to your Quirk and your hero style without blatantly announcing it, and above all, it has to be recognizable, if you want any hope of climbing up the leaderboards.

As the many hero-costume lectures I'd been subject to bounced around my head, I began to worry about whether my design actually met expectations. Did it look okay? Was it too simple? Too plain? If I saw it in a magazine would I stop and say, "Ooh, that's nice?"

"They say the costume makes the pro, young ladies and gentlemen..." All Might's voice boomed as we emerged through the dark tunnel. "Be fully aware... From now on, you are heroes!"

My costume looked simple from afar, but the devil was in the details. Worn beneath everything was a sleeveless, form-fitting bodysuit, coloured a deep forest green, almost black. With a breathable material and additional ribbing for support, it looked and felt great. My arms had bands that measured my mineral levels and sent the information to a small wrist band and Headquarters in real-time. There were also compression sleeves that began halfway down my forearm and slid beneath chunky gloves, which had built-in supports around the fingers and wrists.

The bottoms were large and flowy, forest green, and secured to my hip with a tactical utility belt, which had pockets for first aid, my supplements, and raw diabase rock – the hardest naturally occurring rock. The stiff boots had lightweight metal soles; great for breaking up chunks of earth and breaking jaws with a well-placed roundhouse kick, but in the case of a more stealthy mission, they were removable with a simple latch.

Lastly, there was a mask and visor to filter out dust and debris, which tended to get kicked up a lot by my Quirk.

"Aki!" Ashido squealed, throwing her arms around my shoulders. "Your costume is so cool! It suits you so well!"

"Thanks." I pulled her arms from around my neck and turned to her. The style of her costume was far different from mine, but suited her perfectly. She wore a full-length bodysuit mottled with shades of purple and green, a tiny beige vest with white fur trim, and tall neutral-toned boots. "Your costume looks great on you, Ashido. It's very cute."

She gasped, jabbing a hand into my side. "Lady killer!" she laughed. "You can't say things like that with that face!"

"What?" I wheezed, grasping where she'd hit. "It was just a compliment..."

"Yeah, but you look like a prince straight out of a Shojo Manga! It's not fair!"

"The hell's that got to do with it..."

"Akiharu!" The call came from Kaminari as he approached. Once he was close, he clapped his hands together and bowed deeply. "Sorry! I had no idea you were a girl! I shouldn't have assumed! My bad!"

I cringed, resting my hands on my neck. "I don't hold it against you. It happens all the time."

"Then, we're cool, right?" he said, raising his head. Since he had the decency to look me in the eye, I pretended not to notice where his gaze lingered for a moment.

"Sure."

"Great! Nice costume, by the way!" Kaminari's hero costume was more casual than most others. He wore a white v-neck shirt beneath a shiny black jacket and pants, both of which were decorated with white lightning stripes.

"You too."

"All right, class!" boomed All Might as the gathering students settled. "It's time for combat training!"

"Sir!" Iida's voice came from an entire suit of brilliant white armour. "This is the battle centre from the entrance exam, so shall we be conducting urban battles again?"

"No, we're gonna move ahead two steps!" the hero replied. "Most of the time, combat with villains occurs outside, right? Oh-ho! In fact, villains actually appear indoors at a higher rate! Imprisonment, house arrest, backroom deals – in a society overrun with heroes, truly intelligent villains learn to hide in the shadows. For this class, you'll be split into groups of villains and heroes to fight two-on-two indoor battles!"

"Without basic training?" asked the girl with the frog Quirk. Her costume matched her theme perfectly, with big frog-like shoes and cream-coloured decals over a green bodysuit. It's adorable, and instantly one of my favourites.

"This is a real battle to understand those basics! However, the key this time is that there's no robot you can just beat up."

Yaoyorozu raised her hand. "How will wins and losses be determined?"

I found myself staring intently at one of her eyebrows because holy hell, her chest was totally exposed, and her boob-window red bodysuit did not do a great job covering much else and lord, I didn't want to be caught lacking, intentionally or otherwise.

"Can we beat them up, anyway?"

I'd almost forgotten explosions-for-brains existed, and remembering his comment earlier, felt my jaw clench. Asshole. I bet he can't even tie a tie, anyway.

At the front of the class, All Might appeared to be near convulsing as he tried to take in the bombardment of questions from across the class. He took a deep breath, fists clenched with determination. "I'll answer... All of the questions!" he amended, pulling a hilariously tiny notebook out of his pocket.

He recited the instructions in a janky, uncertain manner. "The situation here is! The villains have hidden a nuclear weapon somewhere in the hideout! The heroes are trying to dispose of it! The heroes need to: One, catch the villains! Or two, get the nuclear weapons back in the allotted time. The villains need to: One, catch the heroes! Or two, protect the nuclear weapon for the whole time! Lastly, teams and opponents will be decided by drawing lots!"

"They're being decided so haphazardly?" interjected Iida, but the fanboy Midoriya leapt into explanation before All Might could flip a page.

"Pros often have to create makeshift teams with heroes from other agencies, so maybe that's why?"

Iida – or his helmet – nodded. "I see... The discernment to look ahead... Please excise my rudeness!"

"No problem, Young Iida! Now, let's do this quickly... Ah," All Might recalled, "Due to the odd number of students, one team will have three members. Remember: the role of a hero is to turn a disadvantageous situation into an advantageous one!"

With that, he began drawing lots. The teams were as followed:

Team A: Ochako Uraraka, Izuku Midoriya, and Shoto Todoroki.

Team B: Menzou Shoji and Toru Hagakure.

Team C: Minoru Mineta and Momo Yayorozu.

Team D: Katsuki Bakugo and Akiharu.

Team E: Denki Kaminari and Kyoka Jiro.

Team F: Fumikage Tokoyami and Tsuyu Asui.

Team G: Ejiro Kirishima and Hanta Sero.

Team H: Mina Ashido and Yuuga Aoyama

Team I: Kouji Koda and Rikidou Sato

Team K: Ojiro Mashirao and Tenya Iida.

I turned to Kirishima with a groan. "I'm with the biggest asshole of our class," I complained. "Wanna swap?"

"No way!" he laughed. "Turn it into an "advantageous situation," right?"

I sucked air through my teeth, lowering my head. "This is gonna suck so bad..."

All Might dove his hand into two separate boxes to pick the first matchup. "The first team will be... These guys! Team A and Team D! Team A will be the heroes and Team D will be the villains!"

I dragged a hand over my face, seething. "Fuuuck."

"Good luck!" called Sero and Ashido, with a chipperness that only soured my mood.

"Why do I feel like a sacrificial lamb?"

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BRUH I WAS GOING THROUGH MY ART AND FOUND THE EARLIEST CONCEPT ART FOR AKIHARU'S HERO COSTUME. It's from like a full year ago or something I forgot it even existed. I've done like 20 different designs dating back to before I even had a name for Akiharu and she was still an xreader 💀

But these were my final concepts from earlier today! Originally I was gonna go something more masc but I ended up loving the fem silhouette sm.

If there was one thing I always knew her costume would have, it was big pants.

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