Chapter Text
Backstage
Izuku makes the sign of cross as he silently prays to God for a successful debut. He tries to even out his breathing as he looks at the locket that he got from Sister Evangeline. Inside of the locket there is a picture of his mother when she was young and he smiles.
Tonight, everyone will hear the name of Izuku Midoriya. He purposely chose that name as a homage to his mother and as a signal for his mother to find him. Using the exposure that he gets from the broadcast of Annual Hero Gala Dinner, he is positive that his mother will watch him in the TV. He knows the chances are slim since he has been waiting all his life but no signs of his mother at all.
He hopes this time, he will succeed. At least if his mother doesn’t contact him, he may get enough money to hire private investigator to find his mother but he really hopes that his mother will contact him first. It will be really sad if he hires an investigator and turns out his mother doesn’t want to do anything with him. As his thought began to spiral into dark place, Izuku slaps his own cheeks to focus as he takes a deep breath.
Ok, this should be easy. The first song, “The March of Heroes” is being sung at the beginning of the event every year with the chorus of Hero Safety Public Commission. This year, Izuku will be the main vocal with some of the heroes who are well-known for their voices such as Uwabami, Present Mic and surprisingly, Kamui Woods a newcomer.
The heroes have arrived at the backstage and Uwabami squeals at the sight of Izuku’s adorable costume.
“Oh my, Izu-chan! You look so cute!” she pinches his cheeks. Izuku just laughs nervously, not knowing how to react.
Present Mic chuckles softly as he leans his arms on his shoulders “How are you doing little listener? Ready for your big night?”
Izuku beams at him, he likes Present Mic. They have been rehearsing the song over and over these past weeks and they grew closer. Izuku who never had a father figure and he can’t help but seeing him as one. It would be nice to have a father like him, he thought.
“Ugh, Izuku. How can you be so calm?” Kamui grimaces as he feels like he wants to puke.
“Come on, Shinji. You’re used to the attention during patrol. Why are you so afraid with singing in front of people?” Uwabami tilts her head in confusion.
Kamui runs to the toilet to throw up as a response.
“Ara, ara. That can’t be helped” Uwabami just shakes her head in disappointment.
Present Mic glances at the greenette who wears a cute beige suit with gelled hair and a Hero Safety Public Commission emblem on his collar and a red rose on his suits collar on his chest.
He assures him that everything will be fine by patting his head lovingly.
“You’ll do fine” he says.
Izuku can’t help but believing those words as it makes him calmed down a little. Hizashi-san always manage to make him calmer as he has this soothing presence. Some people may call him loud and annoying but Izuku thinks that Hizashi-san is not always like that. Izuku appreciates how Hizashi-san can brighten up his day even when he feels like in a darkness and he will anyone who says that he is annoying. The fact that both of their quirks are voice related made it even better. Hizashi has offered Izuku some trainings during his spare time and Izuku was so thankful, he tackled him in a hug and accidentally called him Papa.
Hizashi couldn’t help but crying in joy when he heard it.
Uwabami looks at them and smile. He finds them really cute. Of course, all of them have heard his story of living in orphanage with nuns until he was taken by Hero Commission to be trained as a hero like Hawks and she felt bad for him at first. But when she actually met the kid, he is very mature and a sunshine personified. She can’t help but want to protect him. Not to mention, his voice. It is mesmerizing, powerful and comforting.
Izuku’s voice is unique because he is a Sopranist. He is able to sing in the vocal tessitura of a soprano due to underdeveloped larynx which makes him able to belt in a high tone.
Izuku once performed a song that he wrote for Hawks with the title of “Tsubasa - Wings” and he belted 30 seconds long tone in a high vocal range. All of them had the jaw dropped moment at that time and had no doubt that this kid will be a successful singer.
His quirk was perfectly built for a singer with the ability to convey emotions of the songs and he can control the intensity. His quirk also still works in recording materials and when he uses electronic medium such as microphone or even radio and TV as a conductor.
Suddenly, a staff tells them that the event has started and both Uwabami and Present Mic go up to the stage.
Present Mic winks at Izuku before he goes and Izuku whispers.
“Break a leg, Papa”
Hizashi feels his chest warmed up by his smile and shows up his thumb.
“Good Evening and Congratulations for all your achievements today fellow heroes. My name is Present Mic and welcome to Annual Hero Gala Dinner celebrating the achievement of our heroes and announcement for the billboard ranking live from Metropolitan Hotel, Tokyo! I will be your host for tonight”
“Good evening, my name is Uwabami and I will be co-hosting for this event. Looking forward to work alongside you, Present Mic”
“The pleasure is all mine”
Then both of them continue with pleasantries and throwing some jokes around the fellow heroes. Izuku and Kamui laugh at some of the jokes, especially when Present Mic tells off Hawks for hogging all chicken-based appetizer in his table and the camera shadily captures the moment when Hawks is chewing the canape with grilled chicken as he sheepishly waves to the camera with Endeavor sitting next to him looking pissed off. Well, he has been defeated for years by All Might, so it’s understandable. He will most like lose again tonight, looking at his track record.
“Your brother is cute” Kamui tells him.
Izuku stares at him before grinning widely. “He is the cutest”
Finally, the time for his debut as Present Mic opens the chorus.
“God, I wish I can tell you some encouraging words but I’m dying inside now” Kamui scratches the back of his head nervously.
“We’ll be fine Shinji-nii” Izuku pats his backs as both of them climb the stairs and smile to the camera.
“The chorus will be led by the new comer sensation that will set a record in the history of J-Pop, trained by our own Hero Public Safety Commission, the one and only Izuku Midoriya!” Present Mic announces as Izuku smiles widely to the screen.
“Papa, you’re too much” Izuku thought to himself as he opens the song.
“When the howling darkness is rent asunder and the country trembles
We heroes leap out, making the air ring with a love song
We are heroes armed with steel, down to our hearts
Scattering the forces of evil, we will show the way to justice”
---
Toshinori Yagi is not in the mood to attend the gala.
He thinks that this type of frivolous event is a waste of time since he’d better off saving people in the street at a time like this but Sir Nighteye insists that he needs to attend it to raise his public profile.
“If you want to save people, just be an underground hero” that’s what Mirai always use to come at him when he whines about this event. Oh, the joy of becoming spotlight hero.
He was sat next to Endeavor and Hawks during the event. Talking to Endeavor is like talking to a brick wall, he won’t response besides howling insults or some growls and gruffs so he opts to talk to friendly Keigo.
Hawks keep on bringing the topic of his cute brother who will make a debut tonight and how wonderful his quirk is.
Toshinori can’t help but intrigued at his explanation since the kid must have been very talented to be picked as a prodigy and trained by Hero Commission themselves if Hawks’ achievement says anything. Clearly this boy is as talented or probably more than Hawks itself hearing how much he praises him.
Toshinori is surprised to hear the boy’s quirk as it reminds him of Inko but he dismisses it as a mere coincidence. Voice based quirk is rare but not that rare. Inko’s quirk wasn’t even deemed as heroic or strong but it was perfect for her career as a singer.
Oh, sweet Inko, how much he misses her.
As the event and the chorus starts with the host introducing the lead singer for the chorus as Izuku Midoriya, Toshinori raised his eyebrows and his jaw drops at the sight.
A greenette with freckles who resembles Inko a lot and they share the same name!
Hawks begins to cheer for the greenette who possesses a powerful voice.
Toshinori can’t let go of his gaze to the singer as he reminds him so much of his long-lost lover. His voice especially, has the same timbre as Inko. Could it be? Izuku is Inko’s child and possibly his?
Then during the cadenza part. Izuku steps from the chorus to the front mic and his expression changes into a serious one as he speaks.
“We fight for justice
Even if we must risk our lives in that fight
We won't back down one step!
His body glows a green light and musical notes begin to disperse from his body as every heroes stand up feeling surge of emotion. Even Toshinori stands and he feels one thing.
The urge to save people.
Until the day when evil has been vanquished from the world
We shall continue to fight!
That's the way of the Heroes of Japan!”
The audiences go crazy at the last part, some even cry tears of determination.
Izuku bows and he continues to sing the rest of the song alongside the loud cheers from the heroes who obviously impressed with his voice.
Toshinori has been attending this event for years but to see a singer making this huge impact on the heroes who have been through difficult things during their jobs is not an easy feat.
He has made up his mind. He will try to find a clue who is Izuku Midoriya and how connected he is with Inko as he slips through the door to go to a toilet. There he opens his phone and contacts Mirai.
“Toshinori, I have told you to attend the event” Mirai sounds not too impressed at him.
“I am. Did you hear that boy’s voice?”
“Who are you talking about? Toshinori, did you get enough sleep?” now he sounds worried.
“It’s not an inner voice! The boy, Izuku Midoriya!” he sighs.
“Oh, yeah. He is amazing”
“And?”
“What?”
“His last name is Midoriya and he has a similar quirk with Inko!” Toshinori grows frustrated with Mirai’s reaction.
“Ohhh, I see. You want me to investigate if he is your biological son and if it may lead to where Inko’s whereabout. Is that what you want to tell me?” Mirai replies confidently, it seems like he knows the answer already.
“Don’t tell me… You already know???”
“Well, I told you to come right? Consider it as a reward” he continues nonchalantly.
“I-I.. never mind”
“Anyway, don’t do a reckless thing”
“What do you mean by reckless thing?”
“Approaching the boy without any prior plan. I know you’re thinking of that, aren’t you?”
“……”
“Aha! Busted!”
“Well, I can’t help it. If really is my child, I want to know more about him..”
“Seems like you already made up your mind whether he really is your biological son or not. You’d love to adopt him, wouldn’t you?”
“Well, even if he isn’t my own. He is most likely Inko’s and I want to know more about him. Especially since Hawks told me he grew up in an orphanage with nuns! Can you imagine?” Toshi is speaking frantically inside the cubicle.
“Calm down, it is not that bad to grow up with nuns”
“But he missed so much love from parents who he may have. I feel guilty, you know…”
“Well, what I’m trying to say is we need to act carefully. Especially since he is under Hero Commission’s custody now. You know what it means, right?”
“Unfortunately..”
“Good, let’s talk in more details tomorrow. For now, just pretend nothing happens and go back to your seat. Try to mingle and build network with fellow heroes”
“…Understood. How’s Mirio?”
“He was amazed at his “brother” voice but he has gone to sleep now. He has a school tomorrow anyway so I made him gone to bed early”
“Cold…”
“Now, go back to your seat”
“Ok..ok…” Toshinori groans as he exits the cubicle and going back to sit next to Hawks who still brags about Izuku. This time, Toshinori decides to listen to his story as the boy amy be his biological son. Not knowing that a flaming hero seat is vacant.
The said hero just leaves the toilet as he smirks.
“A secret love child, huh”
---
After the awards have ended, the heroes begin to join their family in another ballroom for an after party.
Izuku is scheduled to sing his songs there and he is having a pep talk with Mera-san and Hawks who gives him a bouquet of flower in his changing room.
In the ballroom, a dual haired teen is playing with his phone looking bored while two other teens who sit next to him are chatting gleefully.
“Did you see the green haired teen? He is in the same age like us but his voice is so powerful!” Momo Yaoyorozu shows how much Izuku’s voice impressed her.
“Indeed, the way he brings up the speech about the heroes are really touching. My brother even shed some tears, feeling how much he loves the heroes” Tenya Iida continues.
Great, another fanboy. The dual haired teen thought.
“What do you think, Todoroki-san?” Momo asks him.
Shouto Todoroki looks at her and blinks. He doesn’t know how to answer her question since he didn’t listen to any of the event despite physically there.
“It was ok”
Momo and Tenya look at each other and shrug.
“That was rude, Todoroki-kun. He did sing with all his heart. The least you can do is listen” Tenya shows his disappointment at him.
“I’m not interested in a teen idol” Shouto answers bluntly.
“I think he is more than an idol. That voice is probably one of the best in Japan” Momo tries to defend Izuku but Shouto just look at her without changing his monotone expression.
“I don’t care” he says as his sperm donors and other heroes begin to fill up the table.
“Brother!” Tenya chops the air with one hand and the other waves at his brother.
“Tenya! Did you listen to the chorus? This year is very extraordinary”
“I did, Izuku Midoriya did a great job!”
And just like that the table’s conversation is full with Izuku Midoriya.
Shouto lets out a sigh as he finds it boring to listen to their conversation. So, what if he is cute or sings like a nightingale? He probably ends up as a hero because his connection to the Hero Commission. Knowing they are pretty strict with the trainings, Shouto knows that this Izuku will be one of his rivals in the field and he will need to crush him. There is no need for him to feel any sort of emotion towards this guy.
He glances towards his sperm donor who surprisingly looks pretty calm despite lost the number one ranking to All Might, again. In that case, he is pretty happy with the result.
Not long after that the party is started and the greenette appears with a loud applause.
“Oh my, look at him!” Momo points at the stage enthusiastically. She is clearly having a fangirl moment there.
“He is going to sing again? I can’t wait!” says Tensei aka Ingenium enthusiastically. Even a hero with a class like Ingenium is excited to hear him singing.
Shouto plans to listen to music in his phone as the greenettes appear and begin singing a song “Let’s follow our dream”
“Let’s follow our dream
Big dreams will someday open the future
I understand, everyone
Works hard, always, right?
Although sometimes, I am disheartened.
Shouto is stunned. He never heard anyone with the voice as beautiful as him. And the lyrics, it is relatable to him that it hurts.
Whether we are dreaming
The future is surely
Overflowing in hope
And I am beside you
So, let's always always talk about our dreams”
Shouto can’t help but listen to the whole song, he even shed some tears which he wipes hurriedly before his sperm donor sees it.
Just who the hell is Izuku Midoriya?
Each song that he sings makes him feeling some sort of emotions that he is not familiar with. What makes him confused the most is it somehow forces him to release his inner emotion. Something that he has been repressing ever since.. that day.
As he finishes the song, Shouto decides to use the bathroom and oh lala, he sees something that he shouldn’t see.
Izuku Midoriya, in a flesh, collapses near the sink.
“Hey! Are you alright?” he scoots over and holds him as he checks for vital signs. Who would have thought the rescue training can be so useful in this unexpected timing?
Izuku shakes his heads as his breathing become much heavier each second and cold sweats begin to flow.
“P-please.. Call… Keigo..use my.. phone…”
Shouto does as he told him and a panicked guy tells him to wait as he frantically runs therfe.
“Izuku!” he screamed as he arrives there and yeah, it was Number.3 Hero, Hawks.
Hawks gives him a pill that Izuku swallows instantly and slowly his breathing becomes normal.
Izuku looks at him and smiles.
“Thank you”
Shouto blushes.
“Izuku, I have told you many times. Don’t forget to drin your meds” Hawks face palms.
“I’m sorry… I forgot to drink it because I got too excited”
“That’s not an adequate answer, izuku. We have talked about this. Mera-san will be pissed if he knows”
Izuku eyes widened in fear before Hawks says “However, since tonight is your debut. I will let it go but just this once”
Izuku beams instantly “Thank you, Keigo-niichan”
Cute, Shouto thought.
“As for you Candycane. Don’t you dare tell a soul about what you just witness or I will wipe you clean. Do you understand?” Keigo threats Shouto who is dumbfounded with everything that just happened with a sword made from his feather.
“Wel.l..fine with me” he shrugs.
“Good” as he returns his feather to his wings.
“Let’s go home, Izuku” he guides the greenette to go before he looks at him and says
“Wait!”
“What again, peppermint?”
“May I have your autograph?” he asks sheepishly.
Izuku blinks before smiling.
“Of course, it is the least I can do” as he signs Shouto’s note.
“To?”
“Momo, Tenya, Tensei and Shouto..” he shyly replies.
“You’re greedy. Sorry, i didn't catch your name” Izuku chuckles as he signs 4 signatures.
"It's Shouto" he answers.
"Shouto.. beautiful name" Izuku smiles which makes Shouto face reddens once more. This time some smokes escape from his left side.
“Here you go, thank your for keeping my secret”
“Izuku, let’s go” Hawks is getting impatient as he sends a glare to Shouto.
When they have left, Shouto checks his notes and found the signatures.
“Pretty” he mutters but his eyes widened in surprise when he finds a message under a signature for him.
Dear Shouto,
Thank you for keeping my secret.
I think I can trust you.
This is my phone number 090-XXXX-XXXX
Contact me when you need a friend.
Love,
Izuku
Shouto face reddens and he carefully takes the note and put it on his pocket. He also saves Izuku’s number on his phone.
TO BE CONTINUED