Izuku woke early the next morning, his eyes throwing themselves wide as he scrambled up to look at his clock, relief flooding him. For whatever reason, his mind had it that it was a weekday, but thankfully, it was still the weekend. Sundays were days of rest according to his father’s plan, days meant to relax and let your body rest from strenuous workouts and work. Even if it was summer, and school was out for another month, he kept his schedule.
Izuku didn’t need a full day to let his body rest, with his quirk overclocking his body’s repair response beyond superhuman levels, but he relished in just laying in bed all the same. He stretched languidly, breathing deeply as he felt the last dregs of sleep slip away. Nodding to himself, he sat up, and reached for his phone.
He frowned slightly as there weren’t any messages waiting for him, but the memory of yesterday’s excursion to Hatsume’s shop struck a huge grin on his face. Excitement flooded him as he leapt up from his bed and practically flew to the bathroom to get ready for the day, his imagination running wild with what his new power meter would be like. In record time, he was ready, showered, dressed in a t-shirt, shorts and his large red boots and racing for the entry door.
“Izuku!”
He stopped on a dime, hand on the door handle. His mother’s voice was full of motherly concern.
“Aren’t you at least going to eat breakfast before you go?”
That wasn’t a suggestion, Izuku decided. The tone of her voice was more forceful than suggestive. He hung his head in agitation for a split second, then smiled, turning back to look at his mom, her apron dotted with splatters of batter.
“Come on, I made pancakes, just like your father likes them,” she said, gesturing to him to join her in the kitchen.
Izuku groaned, but followed obediently, almost begrudgingly. He certainly couldn’t fault his father for his simple vices, but the man hardly ate, which meant Izuku was gonna play clean up. That meant at least a full hour delay, not to mention the heavy weight in his belly as the food processed.
He trudged into the kitchen and dining room where Toshinori was already tucking into the first round of pancakes, a plate stacked high of the delicious fluffy buttermilk goodness that Inko had perfected over the years. Toshinori waved Izuku over with a huge grin, pushing the seat across from him out as he took a large bite, followed by a strip of bacon. Izuku grinned and quickly sat down, pulling a plate towards him and loaded it up with Inko’s fabulous cooking.
One bite of the golden brown maple syrup covered delight mixed with the smoky bacon and Izuku was in heaven, eyes rolling into his head with delight. He considered all things with his mother forgiven, and took another bite, groaning in ecstasy.
All for One watched the grainy video footage, replaying the last couple of seconds of the rescue at the doomed nuclear reactor.
“There you are…” he muttered to himself, watching as All Might raced towards the collapsed reactor plant a split second after the bright beam cut through the sky.
He sat back in his high back chair as the video looped again, pondering the implications. A slight flicker in the special infrared display caught his attention, and he started the loop one more time, focusing on where he saw the flicker.
He pressed the space bar on the keyboard when he saw what he was looking for, a malevolent smile growing on his face.
A smock of dark hair, outlined by a flash of green light, a naked body laying in the rubble, barely noticeable against the light grey of the concrete.
“Very interesting…” he muttered, rubbing his chin, making up his mind.
“Doctor?” he asked over his shoulder, “I think we have a new avenue of research to embark on.”
The doctor glanced up from his microscope, a curious look on his face, but said nothing.
“We’ll need some more experts,” All for One stated, turning back to the still photo, “as well as some different quirks.”
His smile grew perceptibly wider as he picked up the phone and began dialing. The phone rang once before it connected, but there was no answer.
“The video is approved. Send it to the right people. I want to flush him out,” All for One ordered.
There was a momentary pause then, “It shall be done,” a polite and calm male voice said before the line disconnected.
All for One placed the receiver down and steepled his fingers as his grin grew manic.
“Just who are you and what secrets do you have?” he asked, staring at the freeze-frame of the video.
Ochako glanced at her phone for the fifthteenth time in a minute, almost praying that someone would send her a message or call or do something. Patience was never her strong suit, but it was strange that she hadn’t heard from any of her friends yet. She shook her head in exasperation.
It was Sunday. They were all resting. Except Izuku, who never seemed tired, but he was probably busy with other stuff. Her thoughts drifted to their conversation a couple months back when he had told her his biggest secret. She still couldn’t believe that he had all of that power now, even with him making steady progress with his copied quirks. He had confided in her, even telling her she was his best friend.
That last thought made her feel fuzzy inside, her normally rosy cheeks flushing a bit more. She shook her head, and slammed her face into her pillow as the memory of that hug hit her again. He was so warm and strong, making her feel safe.
And then he floated.
Ochako looked up at her phone again, and huffed in annoyance.
“Screw it,” she muttered, grabbing her phone from the bedside table and flipping it open. She fired off a quick good morning to Izuku and then dropped her phone on the bed, hoping that he would text back soon.
She rolled over and stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought, a heated debate raging inside of her mind, oblivious to the subtle vibration of her phone notifying her of a new reply from Izuku.
Izuku smiled softly as he put his phone back in his pocket as he jogged to the train station. Ochako’s text had only increased his good mood. A full stomach, a full night’s rest, and anticipation for what Mei had in store for him made Izuku feel ready to take on anything. He pushed through the turnstile, swiping his phone across the scanner, and walked to the platform, noting the next train was approaching. After a brief wait, he was on his way, and before he even had time to scour the latest Hero News, his stop was rapidly approaching.
He tried to contain his excitement as he got closer to Hatsume’s shop, the anticipation getting to him. As he walked up the alley, he saw Elder Hatsume sweeping the front entryway. The older gentleman looked up as he approached, a wide smile forming on his face.
“Ah, Mr. Midorya, welcome back! I’m glad to see you again! Mei was up all night working, making sure the last minute alterations were complete.”
“Ah, well, I hope it wasn’t too much trouble,” Izuku said, rubbing the back of his head nervously.
Hatsume waved him off, giving him a wide smile, “That’s just Mei. Once she gets started, it’s impossible to stop her. Now, please come in, let’s test the fit and make sure it works for you.”
Hatsume gestured Izuku into the shop, walking through the door into the workshop behind the front counter. Izuku followed, eyes wide at the now incredibly messy shop.
“Don’t mind the mess. That’s Mei’s doing. Your new toy required some special tricks,” Elder Hatsume said, catching Izuku’s look before he stopped at a work bench with a black case on it, picking it up reverently. He turned back to face Izuku and spun the case in his hands, pulling the lid open. Izuku peered inside, mouth falling open at the masterpiece inside. A pearly white band in a horseshoe shape, thin near the middle then wider near the ends, with a light grey band set in the center of the band, going around the back. Hatsume chuckled at Izuku’s look, nodding slightly. “I knew you would like it. It’s one of Mei’s finest.”
Izuku glanced up at the engineer, “Where is Mei anyway? I figured she would be one to show me.”
“Oh she is. She just passed out in the back,” Hatsume said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder to a door in the back of the shop. “One sec. Mei! Get out here, our guest has arrived!” Hatsume called over his shoulder.
After a second or two, there was a loud crash, and a scurry of feet with an odd clunking noise, then the door flew open. Mei stepped out, a manic smile on her face, looking like she was running on fumes, her pink dreads all over the place, grease and soot coating her front. Izuku noted what looked like a metal bucket was attached to her foot, figuring that was the clunking noise. She took another step before kicking the bucket off, and sprinted across the shop, skidding to a halt right next to her grandfather.
“Oh good! You’re back! I made the best baby for you! You are going to love it!” she burst out, excitement bubbling over, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she spun to look at her grandpa.
“Oh please, Grandpa, can I do it?” she begged. Izuku marvelled at how big she could make her eyes seem. Izuku decided that look should be illegal. She could use that look to rob a bank and get away scott free.
Elder Hatsume smiled and nodded, gently handing the case to her. “It’s your work, you get to show it off,” he said softly, pride radiating from him.
She beamed a gigawatt smile before laughing maniacally. Izuku wasn’t sure if that smile and laugh was dangerous or not. She took the case in one hand, before grabbing Izuku’s elbow and dragging him over to a comfortable looking leather barber’s chair, a bemused smile on his face as the manic engineer, turned force of nature, had him at her whim.
“Sit down! I want to make sure the fit is right!” she ordered, practically shoving Izuku into the chair. After he was seated, she spun him around and gently pushed his head forward so his chin was touching his chest.
“Hm… you have a lot of hair… let’s see if we need to trim it a bit,” she muttered.
Izuku started.
“Uh, what?!” His head popped up, looking over his shoulder at her in fear. She was next to a counter, opening the case and smiling softly at the device inside, oblivious that her client had said anything. She reached into the case, and pulled the device out of the foam insert in an almost reverent fashion, like the thin metal band was something to be treasured.
She looked over at him, smiling brightly, holding up the headset so he could see. “This is your Interface, as I call it. It reads your nervous system through magnetic resonance in the back of the band, against your neck, and should be able to tell you everything you need to know about your power usage. Plus a bunch of other features I added,” she explained, walking around to the front of the chair, holding it out for Izuku to take.
Izuku took the band, and looked it over. The metal was pearlescent white on the outside, but black and silver on the inside. The silver parts appeared to make contact with the back of his neck at the base of his skull and at his temple, just in front of his ears. The grey band on the outside went the full circumference of the band, ending on the two larger protrusions in the front.
“It’s beautiful,” Izuku said in awe, turning the device over in his hands, “Are you sure it’s not jewelry? It looks way too… sparkly for what I had in mind.”
Mei scoffed, her smile growing a bit as he looked up at her in surprise. “My babies are tough as old boots. And fashion and function are not mutually exclusive.” She took the Interface from him, and walked around the chair.
“Once you get to be a big name Hero and get famous, you’ll tell people where you got it, and I’ll get rich from everyone wanting their own tech!” she said with a manic laugh, making Izuku chuckle as he bowed his head again.
Mei reached forward, and slid the Interface over the back of his head, the cool metal sending chills down Izuku’s spine. Once it was in place, she checked to make sure his hair was out of the way, her fingers running through the soft green locks. Izuku felt more chills down his spine as her fingers moved his hair, her nails gently scratching his scalp, his eyes threatening to roll into his head from the tingling sensation. A shiver through his body made her pull back with a giggle.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, glancing back at her, but she only smiled and nodded.
“That should do it. It’s in place. Give it a minute to build up a charge,” she explained. “After that, it will take care of the rest.”
Izuku nodded and let the Interface settle down. It was a lot lighter on his head than he thought it was going to be. He felt a sudden spike in the cool feeling on the back of his head as it settled then adjusted automatically, using the magnets to find the optimal position on his neck, flexing slightly. The part around his temple flexed a bit, finding the optimal area, then settled and cooled. After it stopped moving, he reached up and ran his fingers over the band, feeling the cool metal that was now going from his temple, back towards his ear, then angling down a little, cupped the base of his skull, and swung back up to the other side of his head.
He shook his head in surprise, noting that he could barely tell it was there, it was so light.
“How does it look?” he asked, turning to look at Mei and Elder Hatsume.
“So cool,” she said in a low voice.
Elder Hatsume nodded in agreement, a bright smile on his face. “How does it feel?” he asked.
“It fits great. How did you make it automatically adjust itself?” Izuku asked. Mei leaned in, studying the device, a green glow moving across her face, as the originally grey bar around the band lit up bright neon green as the device fully powered on.
Mei smiled a toothy grin, nodding in approval, “Magnetics and your own static electricity. The device is powered by you. Just by being attached to your skin, it will sip power from your body heat and static electricity.”
“That’s…amazing,” Izuku said in awe, amazed that she was able to craft such a device.
“My babies are all amazing! This one is just the best!” Mei said, her excitement returning with gusto. “Now, let’s go over the features!”
She reached up and touched the Interface on the sides of his face, “There aren’t any physical buttons, it’s thought controlled. Just think about what you want it to do, and it will do it. For example, think ‘Screen’, and the built-in holographic screen screen will activate.”
She stepped back, her smile radiating brightly.
Izuku nodded and mirrored her smile. He thought ‘Screen’, and a faint neon green band of light popped up in front of his eyes, the light covering a good portion of his face like a visor. He focused his eyes on the screen and could see a HUD around the sides of the display that showed his heart rate in the corner, a battery showing one hundred percent, as well as a compass and status symbols at the top-center of the screen, and a minimap in the opposite corner of his heart rate.
“Mei, this is...absolutely amazing...I’ve never seen anything like this!” Izuku said in awe, absolutely blown away by the design.
“Thank you! But that’s only a part of what it can do. It’s waterproof, heat resistant, and crush resistant. It’s got Bluetooth, so you can connect your phone, and bone transduction audio, so you can still listen to everything around you, while listening to what’s playing through the Interface,” she explained, counting off with her fingers.
He stared at her, dubiously. “Bluetooth?”
“What? Everything’s better with Bluetooth!” she exclaimed.
Izuku chuckled, nodding in agreement.
“Is there anything else I need to know about?” He asked her as he deactivated the screen with a thought, smiling at how easy the device was to use.
“That’s it for now, though if you think of new things to add, just come visit me again!” she said excitedly.
“Oh I definitely will do that. I have a bunch of ideas for more support gear, especially once I get into UA and become a hero.” Izuku said, chuckling softly.
“Oh yay! More amazing babies! Please let me keep making stuff for you! I want to be your exclusive technician!” she exclaimed, bouncing a bit in her excitement.
“Easy now, Mei. Give the young man some room,” Elder Hatsume interjected, grabbing Mei by her shoulders. “You have cleaning to do before you can make anything else. Remember the deal?”
Mei pulled her eyes from Izuku, and groaned in dismay, “Yes, Grandpa…” she bemoaned dejectedly, turning away from Izuku to begin cleaning up, yawning widely now that the excitement was over.
Izuku shared a smile with Elder Hatsume as he pulled himself up from the chair. He went for a handshake from the gentleman, “Thank you again. This means a lot,” Izuku said fervently.
“It was our pleasure,” Hatsume said, returning the strong handshake. He glanced over his shoulder at Mei, who was half-heartedly working a broom across the floor, “I know we both had fun working on it.”
Izuku nodded and walked over to Mei, who looked up at him, her piercing yellow eyes studying him as she smiled. “Thanks for the idea. It was fun. Be sure to come back!”
“I will!” Izuku said, nodding. A sudden idea hit him. “Say, uh, could I get your number? For ideas, and such? It’d be really nice to keep in touch.”
Mei’s gigawatt smile returned in full force and she nodded rapidly. “Sure! OH! Try this! Connect the Interface to your phone,” she directed, “then” —she scribbled a phone number on a piece of paper— “think ‘scan’, and scan my number with the onboard cameras!”
Izuku blinked in surprise.
“Sorry, I forgot to mention that feature,” she said sheepishly.
He chuckled and pulled out his phone. Mei walked him through the simple pairing process, and a couple of seconds later, he had access to his texts, calls and history, even pictures and music. There was even a new icon for web access on the bottom toolbar of the Interface.
“Man, this thing has just about everything,” he muttered. Mei’s smile grew wider, if that was even possible.
“Now, look down at the paper, and think ‘Scan.’”
He did so, and the screen showed a scanner bar transposed over the paper, then a complete replication of the phone number on the screen. A new box opened after the software recognized the information as a phone number and automatically added it to a new contact.
Izuku thought about a keyboard, but nothing happened.
“How do I input text?” he asked, glancing down at her.
“Just think about the words or letters,” she explained, bouncing with obvious excitement.
He thought about her name, and the software automatically input Mei’s name, and saved the contact.
“This is incredible, Mei! It’s an amazing tool!” he exclaimed. Izuku was so excited to play around it, his mind immediately going to his hero notes, and how much easier it would be with the Interface.
“I’m glad you think so! I can’t wait to make more babies for you!” she said excitedly.
“Soon! But first, you should probably finish cleaning before your grandpa gets mad at you,” Izuku said with a teasing smirk. The cute pout he got from her was almost worth it. After saying his final goodbyes to the Hatsumes, he started the walk back to the train station, fiddling with the settings on the Interface and testing the different features.
He had to stop walking about halfway there though, as there was soft chime from the Interface, a notification of a new text message. He called up the screen, and focused on the messaging icon, smiling in surprise at the sender’s name and contents of the text, eyes widening as he read.
[Ochako - 10:32 am]
Hey! Sooo…
Wanna grab dinner together?
Ochako’s foot twitched slightly, a nervous tick she picked up from somewhere, as she looked up from her phone and scanned the square. From her seat in front of the small cafe, she could see just about everything, so she was perfectly placed to see when Izuku would show up.
She huffed in frustration, not at anyone else, only herself. She was so nervous about this first date that she had arrived almost twenty minutes early. It was her own fault that she told Izuku five o’clock, and she didn’t have anyone else to blame. She glanced down at her phone’s clock again.
4:48 pm
She groaned and let her head fall into her arms on the table in exasperation. Why was she so nervous? It was just Izuku. He was her best friend. They’d been friends since before either of them could remember. She even had the whole thing planned out. Dinner at a place they had never been before, then indoor skating, which neither of them had ever done, then tea afterwards. It was going to be great. So why was she so nervous?
“Hi there, Ochako.”
Izuku’s voice, a couple of feet away, made her jump up, his greeting startling her from her reverie. She looked up at him with wide eyes, before his wide smile brought her own out. His arms were open for a hug, and she wasn’t going to miss the opportunity. She leaned forward and squeezed him tight, whispering gently, “Hi Izuku.”
She pulled back after a second, immediately missing the feeling of Izuku’s warm, strong embrace. She coughed slightly, and smiled as she gestured to the chair across from hers for Izuku.
“I haven’t ordered yet, I wanted to wait,” she said as they sat down, her eyes latching onto his face. Something was different. But she couldn’t place what.
His smile was reassuring. “Thanks!” he said, glancing down at the menu on the table. “Great idea, by the way. I’ve heard good things about this place,” he said excitedly, glancing up at her again.
She felt warm from his praise. Or was it the August sun that was just starting to set? Either way, she liked it.
“Same here!” she said, pulling away from staring at Izuku, and looking over the menu. “I hope their desserts are as good as the pictures make them look,” she said, eyes going wide with hunger at the delectable choices.
Izuku chuckled as he nodded, “The cake does look good. I hope you don’t mind if I get some food. I’m famished,” he said softly, glancing at her questioningly.
Ochako smiled as she glanced back up at him and shook her head, “I know you. Go ahead.”
Izuku nodded, “And don’t worry about getting this. It’s on me,” he added.
Ochako frowned, a bit of indignation rising up through the happiness.
“No, Izuku, I invited you. I’m paying,” she said adamantly.
Izuku cocked an eyebrow at her, as if challenging her.
“How about this? Since I know I’m going to eat, I’ll cover dinner, then you can take care of skating and tea and dessert. Is that fair?” he asked, his eyebrow raised.
She gave it a quick thought. Izuku could eat a lot, and that was likely going to be a large sum. At least he was compromising.
“That’s fine, but I swear, if you try and pay for anything else, I will make you hurt on the mat tomorrow,” she said, a strange conviction rising up.
He blinked in surprise then smiled brightly, chuckling softly, “Deal.”
She nodded once, putting a final nail in that conversation. She looked over him again as he looked at the menu once more. There was definitely something off about his look. What was…
“Izuku, what’s that thing around your head?” Ochako asked, leaning to the side to get a better look.
Izuku glanced up at her and smiled. “Oh, just a new piece of tech. Nothing important,” he explained nonchalantly.
He continued to look at her, his smirk growing a bit, and then a bright green flash of light signalled the visor popping into place in front of his eyes, making Ochako jump in surprise.
She stared at him for a second, “Nothing important at all?” she asked, quirking up an eyebrow.
“Yup,” he confirmed, nodding. “Just a new heads up display that monitors my power and connects to my phone,” —he waved his hands nonchalantly— “No big deal.”
They stared at each other for a second and then they both burst out laughing. The waiter came a second later, and they each placed their orders. Ochako was immediately grateful that Izuku was covering dinner; his order was almost three times her own.
After dinner, they walked to the indoor skating rink a couple of blocks away. It was a little more popular than Ochako had thought it would be, families and other couples milling about inside, but she soldiered on, and was adamant that Izuku sit in the waiting area so she could pay for their skate rentals. After they got their skates and were sitting next to the rink, Ochako’s nerves kicked in, shivering a bit from the cold and the fear of embarrassing herself. She didn’t know what to expect, but Izuku’s smile helped quell a little fear.
He held out one of his large hands as he stood up, skates already tied on tight. She smiled shakily as she grabbed his hand.
“C’mon, Ochako. It’s gonna be fun,” Izuku said, his knowing smirk partially infuriating, partially exhilarating. “Do you trust me?”
She stared up into his bright green eyes, a faint flicker of light behind them. She nodded, her smile filling out as she stood up, wobbling for a second before she found her balance. He watched her closely as they walked out onto the ice, hand in hand, the warmth from his making her feel light as a feather.
“It’s just a pushing motion,” Izuku instructed, pointing down at his feet as he began pulling along on the ice.
“H-how did you know t-that!?” Ochako asked, stammering through her words as she followed along, pushing off at an angle with her right foot first.
Izuku blushed a bit, giving her a shy smile. “Ah, um… well, my Interface has internet and I looked up how to skate while you were getting our skates,” he said sheepishly.
Ochako blinked and smiled brightly. “Great! Then you must be an expert already!” she said, nudging Izuku in the side slightly, giggling as Izuku blushed further. He shook his head and pushed on, Ochako smiling brightly at him as they slowly made their way around the rink.
“So, I think I made a breakthrough earlier,” Ochako said cautiously, glancing up at Izuku. He looked over at her curiously.
“Oh?” he asked, his excitement visible in his eyes.
She smiled sheepishly and nodded. “I was finally able to double the mass of a rock, really pushing past my limit,” she explained. “It was really tough though. Like…” She put a finger to her chin, thinking of the right way to explain it. “It’s like my quirk was fighting me. It didn’t want to go past doubling.”
Izuku quirked up an eyebrow, his curiosity growing.
“I’m probably not explaining it properly,” she said, waving it off, “anyway, I’m gonna keep working on it.”
Izuku smiled, “Well, I’m excited to see you stretching your quirk. It’ll be really neat to see just how far you can push it.” He glanced around the skating arena, briefing staring at a laughing girl with pink skin who was pushing around a very nervous girl with bright red spiky hair, before turning his attention back to Ochako.
She eyed his Interface as he looked around and turned back to look at her. “So… tell me about the new head gear!” she exclaimed, eyes twinkling with excitement.
Izuku’s smile broadened and he launched into a detailed retelling of his encounter with Mei and her grandfather, how the crazed inventor was able to make something so impressive, and how talented she was.
“Sounds like someone has a crush,” Ochako said in a teasing tone, a slight pang of envy at the way Izuku had talked about Mei. She couldn’t hope to be as creative as someone like that, and it was obvious that Izuku was interested. “Do I need to be concerned, Deku?”
Izuku stared at her with a mix of concern and incredulity. “She just made me a piece of tech, Ochako, I’m not pining for her.”
“Hmmmmm….” Ochako hummed, squinting up at him, as if judging and scanning him. “That wasn’t a no, but that just means that I’ll have to work harder to keep your interest,” she teased, giving him a sideways glance.
Izuku stopped skating, pulling them to a stop and swinging her around into his arms, wrapping her up in a warm hug. He gazed down into her deep brown eyes, like pools of dark, sweet honey. She held her breath slightly, the warm contact feeling wonderful.
“Ochako…” he said, “you don’t have to do anything to keep me interested.” His eyes flicked between hers. “I’m… well… I like you. Nothing less,” he said, blushing as he subtly confessed..
“I was teasing,” she said softly, touched by his earnesty, a soft smile on her face, “I like you too, Izuku. A lot.”
They shared a tender moment of silence, tension between them rising before they were interrupted by a yelp, looking over to see the spiky red-hair girl spinning on her back on the ice, her pink friend doubled over with laughter.
Izuku smiled nervously, and released Ochako from the warm hug, pulling her along as they continued skating. “So, I was thinking…” Izuku said, trailing off as he gathered his thoughts.
“Careful, that’s dangerous,” Ochako said lightly, laughing at Izuku’s chagrin smile.
“Anyway… I was thinking about UA,” Izuku continued after huffing in fake annoyance, “We have a little more than two years before we can apply. What do you think it will be like?”
Ochako smiled brightly, “Mom always said that it was the best thing that happened to her,” she exclaimed happily, “She met Dad and all of our parents there. She loved the campus, though she did say they were expanding after the quake,” she finished, a thoughtful finger on her chin.
Izuku nodded, “Yeah, I remember Dad saying something similar. His office was trashed.”
“So, I don’t know what to expect! It could be entirely different now!” Ochako said excitedly, “Either way, I’m excited! Training with Uncle Enji is great, but I want to see what the other pros can teach us!”
Izuku smiled and nodded in agreement, “It’s gonna be great!”
They continued to lazily circle the rink, dodging other couples and families, discussing different ideas of what UA would be like. Soon enough though, Ochako was beginning to feel the wear and tear from balancing so much, and signalling her defeat, she pulled Izuku off the rink.
“That was a ton of fun!” she said as she pulled her last skate off, “I was really worried about falling, but that was a lot easier than I thought it would be!” She stood up and slipped on her sneakers, bouncing slightly as she stretched.
Izuku looked up at her as she bounced lightly in front of him. “See? I told you it would be fun. I wasn’t going to let you down,” he said, his smile matching hers as he reached up, touching the side of her thigh for a brief second. The contact was simple and quick, but Ochako loved it all the same.
She turned and stared down at him as he finished putting on his shoes and stood up, his eyes locked on hers as he stood over her, his much larger frame dwarfing her own. She nodded slowly. He was close. Very close. Her eyes flicked between his green irises, the faint glow now gone. She held her breath as he reached up and gently swept a stray strand of hair from her face, his fingers brushing her cheek lightly. The contact made her blush intensify, even more so when his other hand reached around her waist and he pulled her even closer as he leaned down.
She closed her eyes, her heart fluttering madly. Their lips made contact and Ochako could have flown to the moon, she was so happy. She let out a soft moan as they embraced, his body heat soaking into her. He pulled back, much to her great regret, but she couldn’t help but smile a megawatt smile as he gazed at her, his own smile shining brightly.
“Yeah, I like that,” she said softly.
“Me too,” he said, almost whispering.
Ochako’s heart was fit to burst, she was so happy.
“Hey!” Ochako exclaimed, jabbing a finger into his bicep, “I just realized! You used Zero Gravity on me!”
Izuku’s sheepish grin only confirmed her suspicions.
“I knew it! I saw your eyes light up, and then I didn’t have any problems keeping my balance! You made it so I couldn’t fall!” she said accusatorially, her eyes squinted, her finger threatening to poke him again.
He rubbed the back of his head nervously, “Well, I just wanted you to have a good time, and I’ve been practicing with the degree of control, so…”
“Hmphf…” she huffed, “still… you used my own quirk on me.” She gave him a fake glare of annoyance, which turned into a real glare of annoyance as his sheepish smile turned into his annoying, super-cute smirk.
“You wipe that smirk of your face and drink your tea, sir,” Ochako said, turning back to her own mug and cookies, turning her nose up at him.
“Oh, why, yes ma’am,” Izuku conceded, laying on the sarcasm and facetiousness extra thick as he swept an arm out in a short bow, glancing up at her with one eye open.
Her side eye glare was enough to make him stop, smiling as he saw her haughty facade crack from his theatrics. They laughed together, enjoying each other's company and the sound of the cafe in the evening night.
“I’m really glad you invited me out, Ochako,” Izuku said quietly, staring at his cup of tea. “It’s… well… it’s really nice to just spend time with you,” he finished, looking up at her.
She smiled brightly, nodding, “Same. I’m glad we could do this.” She hesitated for a moment, before mentally smacking herself for holding back.
“I really like you, Izuku. I always have, ever since we were small,” she confessed, letting herself be vulnerable for once, watching him carefully as his face went from pensive to smiling.
“I like you a lot too, Ochako,” he said softly, “and I think I’ve known that for a while too. It just only really settled in recently.” He reached across the table, taking her hand in his, squeezing gently, both of them sharing a smile.
The rest of the date progressed faster than either of them wanted, time flying by, but the walk home, hand in hand, and the subsequent kiss goodnight as Izuku dropped Ochako off at her home more than made the night perfect.
Izuku walked home afterwards, a slight swagger to his step, his smile and heart lighter than it had been in weeks.
“Well, why don’t we go to the movies? There is that marathon of the old superhero movies playing again,” Ochako suggested, glancing at Izuku, her cheeks glowing a little more red. She knew the hero nerd would jump at the chance to rewatch his favorite series again. A week after their first date, and she was still kinda nervous around him.
“No fucking way. Thirty-seven movies is too fucking much,” Katsuki said, a slight growl to his voice, “Even if the nerd can handle it, he gets too excited. He always gets wired about Iron Man and Captain America. No fucking way am I sitting through that again.”
“That hurts, Kacchan,” Izuku said, pouting slightly at being called out like that. “But we should choose a place where we can have fun and get to know Hatsume.”
“We could always go get lunch,” Shoko said quietly, watching the rest of the group from her perch on the couch arm. The group of teenagers were lounging around the Todorokis’ living room, enjoying a day off. “Food is a great way to help break the ice.”
“That’s basically a given,” Shoto said from his father’s armchair, glancing over his book at Izuku. “Breakfast was only an hour ago.”
Right on cue, Izuku’s stomach growled angrily. He looked sheepishly as Shoko and Ochako giggled, while Katsuki rolled his eyes, giving Izuku a knowing smirk.
“How about the arcade then?” Izuku asked, “They just added that new 5-D simulation game.”
“As long as I get to take another crack at your top score on Area 51, I’m down,” Katsuki jeered at Izuku, eyes flashing competitively. Izuku smiled wide, eyebrows raised in a teasing manner.
“And it’s not too expensive!” Ochako piped in, looking hopeful.
“‘Chako,” Shoko said, rolling her eyes, looking at her best friend. “You know you don’t have to worry about that, right?”
Ochako blushed further, and poked her pointer fingers together nervously, nodding slowly, “I just don’t want you guys paying for me, is all. And that’ll be a great place to meet Izuku’s new friend.”
“So, lunch then arcade?” Shoto said, putting down the book and stretching. He looked around the room, and didn’t see any objections. He nodded. “Then it’s settled.”
“I’ll let her know!” Izuku said cheerfully, the Interface popping up in front of him, ready to compose his message to Mei.
Mei Hatsume was not one to spend time away from the workshop, as Izuku had come to learn after talking to her grandfather. The elder Hatsume had to practically drag the pinkette out by her feet when Izuku showed up to pick her up. He felt a little sorry for her as she pleaded with her grandfather to not kick her out of the shop, but smiled all the same as she huffed in annoyance as the door closed and locked in her face.
“It’s not gonna be that bad, Mei,” Izuku said, rubbing the back of his head as he watched her turn away from the shop and trudge towards him.
“It’s not that,” she said in a defeated, slightly whiny tone, fiddling with the crisp white button down shirt that her grandpa had thrown at her. “I just wanted to finish my latest baby before leaving. Why do you have to be so punctual?” She gave him a half-hearted glare of contempt, as if it was his fault. She pulled the shirt on over her head, covering her tank-top loosely, and Izuku noticed that she was actually clean for once. Elder Hatsume must have threatened to close down the shop in order for her to remove the grease from her skin and clothes.
Izuku chuckled. “Dad is always on time no matter what he’s fighting. I guess it rubbed off on me,” he said nonchalantly, shrugging as he turned to walk next to her to the train station.
“Yeah, well, it sucks,” she spat back, huffing again and crossing her arms. “Couldn’t even hook up the power modulator, let alone the tensioner…” she mumbled under her breath, throwing more glares at Izuku. “Where are we going, anyway? Your text said something about hanging out?”
Izuku grinned, and looked down at her, noting the excited look in her eyes. He’d put money down that she probably never spent time with anyone except her grandfather, and probably had a hard time making friends. Another pang of sorrow for her shot through him. He turned back to the direction they were walking, choosing his words carefully.
“Well, I’d thought we’d try lunch and then an arcade. And,” he glanced over at her, “If it’s not too much for you, I’d like you to meet my friends. They are interested in meeting you.”
Mei’s eyes widened slightly, her crosshair pupils roaming his face, her smile bursting wide. “Yes! More people to make babies for! I bet your friends are super powerful, like you! And I bet you guys will be big-time heroes! AHH! Come on! Let’s go!”
She grabbed Izuku’s arm and pulled him along with a strength that surprised him. He laughed and leaned down, scooping her up into his arms. She shrieked with shock and glee and wrapped her arms around his neck as he took off at high speed, sprinting the rest of the way to the train station, Mei laughing maniacally.
The arcade was a little busier than Izuku had expected, families milling about with young children playing games, or couples teaming up on the various games that were available. He looked around as he waited at the counter, the attendant getting their passes ready.
Lunch had been quick. Introductions were made, with Mei fawning over each of the new people she had met, learning about their quirks, taking special attention to Ochako and Katsuki as their quirks intrigued her. They had picked a small noodle shop, and spent most of time listening to Mei describe her different ideas, each of them realizing that once you opened the Pandora’s Box that was Mei, she was a ball of unstoppable energy.
“Oooooo, but what if we give you something like a grappling hook?”
Mei’s voice drifted back into Izuku’s consciousness, and he looked back at the group, waiting at a table, Mei looking at Ochako’s fingers closely. She had been coming up with ideas for all of them non-stop since they left the restaurant, each one having their quirks taken into account and getting studied by the hyper mechanic. Much to Izuku’s amusement, Katsuki seemed to brush her off at first, but his tune changed when Mei suggested a containment device for his sweat. The next thing they knew, Katsuki was actually having a conversation with her like a normal person. Izuku made sure to record the entire thing for posterity, eternally grateful to Mei for the recording feature of the Interface.
“Here you go, sir. Please have fun!” The friendly attendant said, handing him 6 plastic cards.
“Thanks!” Izuku said cheerfully, turning back to his friends, and passing out the passes to each of them.
“You ready for your score to crash and burn, Deku?” Katsuki said through a wicked smile.
“You’re on, Kacchan,” Izuku said, his confident smile blazing to life.
“In other news, shocking new discoveries about the Musutafu Reactor Incident have come to light since it was first announced last month.”
The news broadcast playing on the TV hanging from the ceiling had been mostly ignored by everyone there, the volume of the large room overpowering the small TV speakers. But Izuku heard just enough to look up from the racing game he and Mei were playing in surprise and trepidation.
“We can now confirm, thanks to anonymous sources, that there was more than one Hero on the scene of the dangerous and destructive events in the aftermath of the Musutafu Earthquake. In this video footage, it seems that an unknown Hero was assisting All Might!”
The screen showed the male reporter in front of a looping video that featured All Might, and after a gesture from the reporter, it filled the screen. The video showed the end of the bright green laser that had been Izuku, with All Might and the rest of the works looking up in shock. The camera then swung around as the building collapsed, and All Might vanished from the frame, only to show up digging through the rubble. Then there was a single frame of dark green hair.
Izuku’s eyes went wide with recognition. “Oh shit…” he said quietly, glancing around the room quickly.
“If you happen to have any info leading to the finding of this mysterious hero, please…”
The Interface pulsed softly, indicating an incoming call.
“H-hey, Dad,” Izuku stammered as the call connected.
Izuku was pissed. Actually, that wasn’t even close to just how upset he was. Enraged, perhaps. Livid, definitely.
But he was mad.
“I assure you, it’s for the best, Young Midoriya,” the small animal thing behind the large wooden desk said shortly.
Izuku glared at him for a second, before swivelling his gaze to his father, who actually managed to look a little scared. They had been talking for the last two hours, pulling Izuku away from his time with his friends.
“You agreed to this?” Izuku accused, jabbing a finger at the folder on President Nezu’s desk, the plan and documents neatly arranged.
Toshinori glanced at the folder and nodded, face looking forlorn, eyes sunken and sad. “I did, son. Nezu is right. It’s for the best. You need to vanish for a while. Someone is searching for you, and we have no idea what they want.”
Izuku stared at the both of them for a few seconds, as if hoping that it was some sick and cruel joke, before finally letting out the breath he was subconsciously holding, trying to keep his temper in check.
“So… I disappear for a couple of years, stay on I-Island with Uncle Dave, and train until the entrance exam for UA,” Izuku recounted, deflating slowly as he talked. He looked up at his father. “What about you and Mom?”
“We stay here. I need to maintain my presence,” Toshinori said sadly, his heart breaking at his son’s anger and disappointment. “But we will be visiting at least once a month, if not more. And you’ll still be able to talk to your friends,” he added, hopeful that it would help soften the blow.
“Yeah, while they get to graduate and hang out together, I’m stuck on the floating hockey puck,” Izuku said sardonically. “When would I leave?”
“Well, you need to test out of high school before you go, which I’m quite positive you will be able to do, given your grades and test scores, but I would say about two months. Finish high school, at the very least.” Nezu interjected, prompting a sideways glare from Izuku.
“Fine,” Izuku retorted. He looked pensive for a second before looking between Nezu and his father. “I don’t like this. Not at all. You haven’t given me a choice in the matter,” Izuku said sullenly.
“Izuku.” His father’s stern voice made him look up questioningly. “I know how you are feeling. You want to fight this head on. You want to prove yourself. You want to prove that you can handle anything thrown at you.”
Izuku blinked. Toshinori’s gaunt face was drawn back, a look of determination and a challenge in his eyes.
“But you need to realize that by not going you aren’t just endangering yourself, but your friends and your family. You need to vanish to get the heat off of you, lest you be discovered as my son and my heir,” Toshinori said with conviction. “You don’t want anything happening to me or your mother, do you?” he finished with a knowing smile.
Izuku felt like a truck had hit him. Of course he didn’t want his friends or his mother or his father to get hurt. A flash of a memory of his nightmare ran through his mind, Ochako disappearing into the sludge and the pain it caused made him quell it immediately.
He looked up at Nezu, resignation etched onto his face.
“Okay. Two years training, then. Keep a spot for me in the entrance exam,” Izuku said, trying to sound confident in the face of such a low blow.
Nezu nodded, smiling brightly. “But of course, Mr. Midoriya. I can’t wait to see you back here.”
The last two months had passed by in what seemed like the blink of an eye to Izuku. Nezu had arranged for him to test out of the remainder of his classes, which had taken place spread out over a couple of weeks. With school out of the way, the only remaining obstacle was a convincing semi-public reason for him to leave.
Enter David Shield, long time friend of All Might, inventor extraordinaire, and one of the many council members on I-Island, the world’s top research facility for quirks and related technology. When he posted that he was in need of new research interns, Izuku’s application, provided by Nezu as well, was moved to the top of the pile. The decision was unanimous after seeing Izuku’s perfect test scores and recommendations from top heroes, including All Might himself.
Of course, David had known Izuku since he was born, but no one outside of All Might’s inner circle knew that truth. Even Izuku’s friends didn’t know, so the announcement of his internship was quite the surprise to all of them, especially Ochako and Mei.
While Mei had been ecstatic to hear that he was going to intern with the David Shield and begged to go with him, Ochako had been much more reserved. A week after he had broken the news, they met up for their fifth date, just coffee and a casual walk around a local park in the early morning. Now that it was October, things were beginning to cool down, and Ochako was bundled up in a heavy coat.
“It’s just so far, Deku,” she said, watching the clouds drift by as they sat together on a comfy bench in the park. Izuku had pulled her close to him, and adjusted his body temp a bit higher for her own comfort. She sighed as his warmth seeped into her chilled legs and side.
“I know. But at least we’ll be able to talk every day,” Izuku replied. “And it’s not like I won’t be coming back. The internship is only for two years. After that, I come back and then we all go to UA together.”
Ochako was silent for a minute. He looked down at her, noting her pensive face. “Two whole years,” she said softly. “I don’t know, Deku. It’s a long time apart.” She looked up at him curiously. “Will you be able to handle it?” she asked.
Izuku smiled, “You know it’s not a full two years, right? There is the yearly expo, and Mom and Dad said that you are free to travel with them whenever they make the trip.”
She blushed slightly, “I’m still getting over the fact that our parents basically predicted that we’d get together. I’m not about to ask them to go to I-Island with them,” she said sheepishly, hunkering down into her scarf and jacket to hide her embarrassment.
Izuku chuckled, “Yeah, I can still hear my mom yelling with joy. You know my mom had a bet with Aunt Mitsuki? I guess she won.”
Ochako giggled, and glanced at her watch. Izuku noted that it was a new smartwatch, but said nothing.
She sighed and sat up straight, but didn’t get up, still soaking up his extra heat. “Well, if we are going to do this today, then we better get moving. I gotta go home and do some more studying, but I’ll meet you all later.”
Izuku leaned down, meeting her gaze, and they shared a tender kiss, Izuku’s breath steaming in the chilly morning air. She smiled as they broke the kiss, and stood up quickly, walking off towards the train station, while Izuku watched her leave.
It was the last day before he had to leave. They were going to hang out as a group one more time that afternoon. He knew he would miss them all sorely, having been with them for as long as he knew them, and the long lead time wasn’t helping. He just wanted it to be over with already.
A text from Shoko broke him out of his reverie, the Interface pulsing at the notification. The display flipped up with a thought, and he smiled and rolled his eyes as he read her plea for help from the boredom of studying. At least he didn’t have to deal with that anymore; he certainly didn’t miss schoolwork. He sent a reply in the affirmative and stood up and stretched before heading off to rescue Shoko from the doldrums.
The muffled yelling coming from the Bakugo household was something almost endearing to Izuku. His friend always fired back with everything that was shot at him, and it was always a pleasure to watch Mitsuki Bakugo knock her son down a notch or two. As Izuku and Shoko stood on the steps outside the house, they shared an exasperated smile as Mitsuki yelled back before she opened the door.
“Hey kids, come on in,” she said politely, smiling wide as she gestured them in. “KATSUKI, GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE! YOUR FRIENDS ARE WAITING!”
“SHUT UP, HAG! I FUCKING KNOW!” came back the retort, followed by an explosive door slam.
Izuku and Shoko just smiled and waited in the entryway, nodding hello to Masaru as he moved quietly into the living room from the kitchen.
“DON’T CALL ME HAG, BRAT!” Mitsuki fired back up the stairs, turning back to the two other teens. “So, heading to the mall for one last hang out, right?” Izuku and Shoko nodded, still smiling politely. “I heard that it finally reopened. ‘Bout time, too.” Mitsuki turned around, looking at her butt. “It’s just about time for me to go get new winter clothes.” She glanced back, smirking at Izuku’s faint blush and rapid glance away. Shoko giggled at his reaction, earning a wink from Mitsuki. There was loud stomping from the stairs, and they turned to see Katsuki’s thick black boots stomping their way down.
“EASY ON THE FUCKING—” Mitsuki started to shout, coming to an abrupt stop as Katsuki’s face was brought into the light.
His eyes were in a tight scowl and surrounded by a flawless application of dark eyeliner, brushed on smoothly with no apparent smudges or blemishes. The effect made his already serious and catching eyes look even more pronounced, the ruby red of his irises popping out vividly.
“What?” he snapped, glancing from Mitsuki to Shoko to Izuku, all three of them in their own surprised silence.
“Where,” a low growl from Mitsuki rumbled out, her eyes squinting in rage, “did you get the eyeliner, Katsuki?” she asked, a hint of venom in her voice now. “That better not be mine.”
Katsuki froze, almost all of his rage melting to give way to blank confusion. Countless thoughts churned behind his scarlet eyes before they widened. For the second time in his life, Izuku saw an emotion cross Katsuki’s face: fear.
“N-no,” he managed to stammer out, his voice a mix of growling in anger and wavering in fear, before he took another step forward, and the fear vanished. “NO!” he roared back, “LIKE I’D EVER STEAL ANYTHING!” Izuku recognized the stance Katsuki had shifted into. Defensive, ready to move at a moment’s notice, like a cornered animal baring its fangs as it desperately searched for an escape route.
Mitsuki was more than used to her son’s almost hostile tone and stepped towards him to put more pressure into her words. “THEN WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET IT? IT SURE AS SHIT ISN’T YOURS, SO WHO—”
“FUCK OFF, HAG!” Katsuki interrupted and took another step towards his mother, the two nose to nose as both refused to show weakness towards the other. “I’M NOT A FUCKING THIEF, AND YOU DON’T KNOW JACKSH—”
“I THINK IT LOOKS GREAT!”
Izuku blinked, and looked down at Shoko beside him. He had never heard her yell before, hell, she never talked at a level above normal conversation. Teachers had given up on calling on her to read because no one could hear her, so to hear her interrupt the howler monkeys that were the Bakugos was something new entirely.
“I mean…” her voice small again, now the center of attention, everyone’s eyes on her. “It’s way better than anything I could do.”
Mitsuki was the first to snap back to reality. “Well, of course it looks great. It’s fucking perfect.” She gestured to Katsuki’s face, “He got the feathering right, and the shade is a match for his eyes.”
Katsuki’s eyes grew wide as his mother continued, staring back at her in shock. Shoko nodded, and nudged Izuku in the side. Izuku glanced between the three of them, utterly confused and bewildered.
“Uh, yeah! Looks great!” he said shortly, smiling and giving Katsuki a thumbs up, earning an eye roll from Shoko.
“It’s pissing me off, that’s how good it is,” Mitsuki said finally and turned her attention back towards Katsuki. In a much calmer, yet still stern voice, she continued, “So, Katsuki, where—”
“It’s mine.” If Izuku hadn’t been staring at Katsuki, he might not have recognized the unsure and rushed statement coming out of him. Unbidden, a mental image of a shaking Katsuki glaring at a broken sandbag came to the forefront of Izuku’s mind. “I bought it myself. That’s what the package last week had in it.”
Mitsuki hummed. “No wonder you were so secretive of it. Solves that mystery.” In a quieter tone, more to herself, she added, “Dammit, looks like I owe Masaru a hundred yen…” She turned away from the teens to join Masaru in the kitchen. “Go have fun. Be home on time, brat. You have your finals next week.”
“I know, Mom,” Katsuki said as he walked down the rest of the stairs and pushed past Izuku and Shoko, who waved goodbye to the Bakugos and followed after their friend.
The calmer duo shared a look behind Katsuki’s back, both of them catching the subtle twitch of the explosive blonde’s fingers, as though he was trying to keep his quirk under control. While both of them had questions for their friend, all three of them knew no one would get answers today. Instead, Izuku and Shoko resolved to put the event behind them and focus on the afternoon ahead.
Izuku followed his friends into the newly reconstructed shopping mall in the center of Musutafu. The massive complex had seen significant damage from the earthquake just a couple months prior, and was finally open to the public again, now that repairs were complete.
“Woooow,” Mei said in awe, her eyes zooming all over the place, taking in the many shops, “this place is huge! I bet they have a great place for tools!” She made a mad dash for the map in the entrance way, scanning over it rapidly.
“Mei,” Izuku called after her exasperatedly, “we’re here to hang out and get stuff for winter!”
“B-but,” she whined sadly, turning to look at him with huge puppy eyes, as if Izuku had shot her dream down and stomped on it.
“Nope, no, not fair,” Izuku said, shaking his head and waving his hands as the rest of the group laughed.
“Well, I’m gonna find some stuff. Catch you losers later,” Katsuki said gruffly, turning towards one of the department stores. Izuku and Ochako watched him go, before glancing at each other and shrugging.
“I’m going to go find some skates and a jacket,” Shoto said shortly, taking off for one of the sporting goods stores.
“And then there were four,” Izuku said, a little sad that his friends just left like that. He was looking forward to spending time with everyone before…
He squashed that train of thought with a grimace. This was supposed to be fun and happy, not bleak and depressing. He forced a smile onto his face, and glanced back at Shoko and Ochako, both of them planning out their trip through the mall, maximizing their time by hitting specific stores in a certain order.
“Well, I guess I’ll come with you,” he said to Mei who had moved next to him, looking around some more.
“Hm?” she hummed questioningly, looking up at him, “Oh, I’m going with ‘Chako and ‘Ko. They said something about new clothes.”
“Yup!” Ochako said, turning away from the map, eyes glinting with excitement as she looked at him expectantly, “and you’re coming with us.”
The tone in her voice definitely made it seem like he had no choice in the matter, but as he had already decided to follow them anyway, it didn’t bother him.
“Whew,” Izuku said facetiously, mimicking wiping his brow, “I don’t know what I would have done instead.”
Ochako smirked back at him knowingly, and he grinned, guffawing at his lame joke.
“Well, good,” Shoko said, walking over and grabbing his hand in a rare bold move, pulling him along as the three women began heading towards their first destination. “We need a bag holder. And we all know that you won’t get tired.”
Izuku’s chuckling stopped and a drop of sweat fell from his brow. Just what had he gotten himself into?
A really good time.
That’s what he had gotten himself into. He couldn’t deny it. The girls were fun to hang out with. Ochako was lovey, Mei was hyper, and Shoko was calm enough to keep the others in check. They walked from shop to shop, each girl stopping at their preferred location, with Izuku fawning over the tech shops with Mei, the two nerds geeking out over support items or cool new ideas, leaving Ochako and Shoko to stand outside bemusedly, watching them with knowing smiles.
More than once, Mei had to be dragged out of a store because she refused to leave some new tool until she had learned everything she could from it. Not that Ochako and Shoko were much different, much to Mei’s dismay. The outfits that Mei was used to consisted of tank tops and grubby overalls. Those dresses and shirts and other girly things were beyond her.
But Izuku couldn’t help but enjoy the show as they tried on different clothes, appraising each one of them in turn, each girl giving him a thankful smile for his input. Soon enough the bags started piling up, and Izuku took on his task as baggage handler. It wasn’t until the fourth store that Izuku noticed something that had been bothering him for a bit.
“Ochako,” he said in a low voice, leaning down to talk in her ear. She glanced up at him as she placed a plastic card into the card machine, the attendant bowing as the transaction completed. “How are you paying for this? You are normally saving your money and shopping the deals.” Izuku said, glancing down at the designer clothes she was buying without a second thought.
Her face flushed red, and she glanced over at Shoko and Mei, making sure they were focused elsewhere. “Well, um…” she faltered. “Mom and Dad’s business is doing really well. You know, the earthquake and all that.” She glanced back down at the plastic card in her hand. “They are giving me an allowance now, and… well… I can get nice things now.”
She looked up at him, a worried look on her face, “But I don’t want you to think that I’m going to stop being a hero because of it!”
Izuku cracked a smile and chuckled softly, “I wasn’t thinking that at all!” He picked up her latest bag, “If anything, this means that you can just focus on being a hero without having to worry about the money. That must be freeing,” he said thoughtfully, glancing down at her as they started walking out of the store.
“Yeah, I guess so,” she said softly, “But I don’t want it to change anything!” She started waving her hands, “I’m still me! My parents are just in a really good place right now.”
Izuku smiled and nodded, “I bet being best friends with the number one, two, and three heroes definitely helped a bit.”
Ochako stopped and looked surprised. “I… didn’t think of that. I thought that because they were local, people were picking them.” Her face fell slightly, “I was hoping that they were going to be sought after because of that.”
Izuku grimaced at her sudden sadness, “Ah, that’s not what I meant, Ochako. I know Dad recommended them, is all. He talked to Mom about it a couple weeks back. It’s not like he has any say in what people choose.”
He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his pictures, stopping on one of her parents’ business cards.
“He was giving out their cards to businesses he was helping,” he explained.
Ochako’s eyes widened, a small smile forming, “Oh, that’s way different then. With his recommendation, then people would definitely seek them out.”
Izuku nodded, “Yeah, exactly!”
She smiled brightly up at him, and reached up, pulling him down for a long kiss.
“Come on, love-birds!” Mei called out, interrupting them brashly, “Up next is the food court!”
Right on cue, Izuku’s stomach rumbled louding, prompting the girls to laugh as Izuku grinned in exasperation.
