Chapter Text
Izuku was standing by himself, wringing his hands together nervously, waiting for his friends to show up. He knew they wouldn’t miss it for the world, not after everything they had gone through. He was currently wearing a black suit with a red vest underneath with matching red tie, finished off with some black dress shoes that were made specifically for him. His fiancée told him the red would match her dress and had requested him to wear it, and he wasn’t one to deny her requests.
“Green!” A voice called out through the gathering crowd, causing Izuku to turn around. He already knew who the voice belonged to, but seeing his two best friends push themselves through the crowd always brought a smile to his face. “Is everything alright? I could hear your heartbeat from across the room.” Kyouka questioned as she stopped in front of him, Ochako standing right beside her.
Kyouka was never one for dresses, but his fiancée had specifically picked out a dress and asked her to wear it, and Kyouka had agreed to it. She was wearing a darker purple dress that ended right above her knees. It covered her shoulders and went all the way down her arms, ending right before her hands. She was still wearing her combat boots, absolutely refusing to wear heels, saying that the weight of them was similar to her hero boots.
Ochako was dressed in a light pink dress, another one picked out by his fiancee. Ochako had argued with her until the sun came up before she had finally agreed. Her dress was similar to Kyouka’s, but instead of going all the way down to her hands, it ended at her shoulders. The outfit was finished off with black flats. Izuku had to admit, his best friends looked really good, thanks to his fiancée’s choices.
“Hey, Kyouka, Ochako!” Izuku greeted, slipping one hand to his other wrist to test for his heartbeat. “I’m glad you two are here. Was my heartbeat really that loud?” Izuku could feel that his heartbeat was elevated currently, but it still surprised him that Kyouka could hear it across the room.
“It’s beating like you just ran a marathon before getting here.” Kyouka stated, putting her hands on her hips, while jutting a hip out. “What the deal, man?”
“Are you okay, Izuku?” Ochako questioned worriedly. “You haven't been like this since our last big mission.”
“Yeah! Yeah, everything is okay…” Izuku scratched the back of his head awkwardly, looking away. He didn’t want to make his friends worry, but he also knew they would see right through his act.
“Green…” Kyouka trailed off quietly, in a voice that said she knew Izuku was everything but okay. Kyouka had gotten good at reading him and his heartbeat, especially after what happened during their second year. She made it her mission to make sure her friend was okay, and Izuku would be forever grateful for her concern.
Izuku slumped his shoulders, not even attempting to put up a fight when he knew it wasn’t worth it, continuing to look away. “Okay… I might be just a bit nervous.”
“Why?” Ochako questioned. “I remember when you came to ask me for advice on proposing, and you weren’t anywhere near this nervous. You looked more excited than anything.”
“Well…” Izuku let out a sigh, before turning towards his two best friends. Izuku knew that his two best friends understood more than most; the only one who understood him better was his fiancée. “Okay, you remember when she dressed up for our graduation after party? How drop dead gorgeous she looked in that dress?”
Kyouka and Ochako shared a look, remembering the dress quite well. Almost everyone’s eyes were on the couple that night, with the party being hosted by them. They both turned back towards Izuku and nodded towards him, encouraging him to continue.
“And you also know that her family is known quite well throughout Japan, both within the hero community and support community.” Both girls nodded, knowing that her family owned one of the biggest support companies that Japan offered. She was well known for her achievements throughout the hero community, only coming in second to Izuku himself. “Well, I’m kind of nervous about embarrassing her.” Izuku looked away again, scratching the back of his head again.
“You are nervous about embarrassing her?” Kyouka questioned, and Izuku nodded as he continued to look away. “In what way?”
Izuku ran his hand through his hair, indicating that he was trying to get his thoughts in order. Both girls waited until he turned towards them. “I’ve been coming to these parties with her since we were kids, but back then, that’s all we were. Kids.” Izuku sighed, closing his eyes and hanging his head back, face pointed towards the ceiling. “But as we’ve gotten older, and started school at UA, the parties that we attended were far and few in between.”
“Izuku.” Ochako stated, causing him to open his eyes and look towards her. “I don’t think you could embarrass her, even if you tried.”
“How could I not?” Izuku questioned, bringing his hands back up to his hair and giving it a little tug. “I mean, just look at me!” Izuku waved towards himself a bit frantically. “I’m just me, I can’t even begin to compare to how amazing she is.”
Kyouka snorted, causing Izuku and Ochako to look at her, before she forced the laugh that was trying to spill out at her friend’s worries. “I don’t think comparing yourself to her is ever going to be an issue, Mr. ‘I Save the World before Breakfast’.”
Izuku raised both hands up to his hair again, running his hands through it and flattening it out a bit, before it popped back up to its original style. “I mean, come on, how can I compare to someone like her? She’s magnificent, beautiful, hardworking, always helping out as many people as she can, putting other people’s needs before her own, and absolutely the smartest person I know, bar none! I wouldn’t be half the hero, nor half the person I am today if not for her.” Izuku lowered his hands, closing his eyes and allowing his shoulders to slump, letting out another sigh. “But I’m still just me…”
Kyouka put her hand on Izuku’s shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze, forcing him to open his eyes and look towards her. “Dude, stop saying it’s ‘just me’, because that’s what she loves about you. She’s loved you since you were both kids, before either of you ever realized it.” Kyouka gave him another squeeze, a rare genuine smile gracing her face. “I know it’s asking a lot of you, but you need to stop worrying so much.”
Izuku looked away again, slumping his shoulders. “It’s hard not to, Kyouka. No matter what everyone else sees in me, I still feel like the same quirkless kid I once was, so I just don’t see how she could love someone like me…”
“Do you regret it?” Ochako questioned suddenly, causing Izuku and Kyouka to snap their heads towards her. “All those years you were friends? Spending time with her? Asking her out? What about dating her? Proposing to her?” Ochako knew that she was hitting sensitive points, but she knew before she asked them what Izuku’s answer would be to each question.
“No! How could you even ask that?” Izuku responded immediately, getting a little annoyed with what Ochako was questioning him with. “I could never regret anything when it comes to her! She’s been my best friend since I was six, and the best thing to ever happen to me!”
“Better than when All Might offered you OFA?” Ochako questioned.
“Yes!” Izuku answered immediately, and Kyouka could tell he wasn’t lying with his answer. He really thought that she was more important than him accomplishing his dream of being a hero. “She was there before I had OFA, believing in me that I could be a hero without a quirk. She was there when I received OFA, helping me train and figure out so that I didn’t injure myself. She never stopped loving me just because I didn’t have a quirk, and her love didn’t change after I received OFA.”
“Right there. You just said she loves you, for you.” Ochako said a little more quietly. “Izuku, she told us that you were the first person to see her for herself, not for her family name. You recognized how hard she worked, how hard she trained, on both her quirk and weapon skills. You recognized how much she studied, not just assumed she was naturally gifted like everyone else did. You knew how much she loved to read, going out of your way to find books you thought she would love, both the ones she studied and the ones she read for enjoyment.”
“Really?” Izuku questioned quietly. “I thought I was just being a good friend…”
“Seriously, Dude?” Kyouka questioned. “You're over here wondering why she loves you, but yet, you don't realize all the small things you've done for her?”
Izuku opened his mouth to respond, before the lights in the room dimmed, leaving only a spotlight that was racing around the room in anticipation, until it landed on the top of the staircase close to them.
“I present to you, Lady Momo Yaoyorozu!” Izuku felt like he recognized the voice, but he couldn’t remember where. His only explanation was that it was one of the many servants that the Yaoyorozu family had. It didn’t matter once Momo had stepped into view of the room, causing a current of gasps and whispers to flow through the room.
“Holy…” Ochako started.
“…Shit.” Kyouka finished.
“Yeah…” Izuku responded quietly. Momo looked around the room, before her eyes landed on Izuku, causing her to smile. She gracefully descended the steps, looking as beautiful as an angel that was slowly descending from the heavens above.
Gliding across the short space between the staircase and their friend group, Momo stopped directly in front of Izuku, Ochako, and Kyouka, allowing them to get a full view of what she was wearing. Izuku looked her up and down a few times, her beauty literally forcing him into speechlessness.
The elegant red dress flowed from just below her collar bone with the straps along her biceps, draping all the way down to the floor, some of the material flowing along behind her in a train. There was a slit in the front of the dress, her porcelain toned legs peeking through as she walked. Her arms were bare, showcasing her scarred but strong arms. She had her hair up in her signature ponytail, the one that Izuku loved to help her with, tied with a perfectly matched piece of red ribbon.
“It would appear to me that I have broken Izu.” Momo giggled, covering her mouth with her hand, before smiling towards him.
“I can’t really blame him.” Kyouka said honestly, looking at the dress up and down like Izuku did a moment before. “Holy shit, Yaomomo. I didn’t think you’d be able to top the graduation dress, but wow…” Ochako was similarly awestruck beside them, nodding along as she looked at the dress.
“Do you think it’s too much?” Momo questioned, twirling around in a little circle to showcase the dress from all angles. She stopped and looked back at Izuku, seeing him slowly shake his head.
“Beautiful…” Izuku whispered out, never taking his eyes off Momo’s as he spoke.
“You back with us, Izuku?” Ochako questioned, poking him in the arm a few times.
“Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming.” Izuku said quietly, causing Momo to giggle again. He shook his head a few times, before looking back towards Momo. “Are you an Angel? You’re as beautiful as one…”
Momo blushed, still not used to how Izuku had become since she had agreed to marry him, but smiled nevertheless. She took a step towards Izuku, raising her hand to cup his cheek lightly, before guiding them together and engaging in a kiss. It wasn’t a very long kiss, just enough to convey their feelings for each other, but it left them both breathless just the same.
“Still think you’re dreaming, Izu?” Momo questioned with a smile on her face, not removing her hand from Izuku’s cheek. She could see the love and affection in his eyes. The room around them fell away for a second as they got lost in each other’s eyes.
“How did I ever get so lucky?” Izuku questioned a bit dreamily, causing Momo to giggle at him again. “Thank the Gods above that led me to you, my own Angel.”
Momo moved forward, engaging in another kiss. It lasted a second longer this time, until Momo pulled back. She lowered her hand to find Izuku’s linking their arms together. “Come, Izu. You remember how to make the rounds, right?” At Izuku’s nod, she turned back towards their two best friends. “We’re gonna thank everyone for coming, but don’t go anywhere, please? I would like to catch up with you both.” Kyouka and Ochako nodded, allowing Izuku and Momo to walk through the crowd, already talking to an older couple that was mingling in the party.
“I don’t think they could have found anybody more perfect for themselves…” Ochako said dreamily, remembering her partner that was currently on their own mission and wouldn’t be making the party tonight.
“You can definitely say that again.” Kyouka responded, watching as they both gracefully walked throughout the room. “Come on, Ochako, let’s see what they have to drink.”
Izuku couldn’t remember much before his fifth birthday. The few things he could remember were having a best friend that he spent almost every waking moment with, a father who loved him, and a mother who always played heroes and villains with him.
When his fifth birthday arrived, and Izuku was still showing no signs of manifesting a quirk like his parents, Inko had decided to take him to the local quirk doctor. Ever since his fourth birthday, Izuku had tried to use Fire Breath or Telekinesis like his parents without any success, going to bed disappointed.
“Quirkless.”
When Izuku had heard the word, his dreams had been shattered in front of him. All he wanted was to be a hero like All Might, calling out to the world ‘I Am Here’. It would ring inside their head for years to come, but that was only the beginning of what was to come.
Izuku remembered that his father loved him, but when he had been diagnosed as quirkless, his father had left one day and never returned. His mother had told him that he was moving to America to better provide for his family, but the only thing that Izuku understood at the time was that he had left him behind because he didn’t have a quirk.
It wasn’t long before his classmates found out about his status. He had shown up to school the following week, and his teacher had announced it to the class without a care in the world, causing all his classmates to look at him like being quirkless was a disease. Most of them had avoided him after that, while others would pick on him.
Aldera became hell for Izuku, a constant reminder that his dreams weren’t possible anymore. None other than Katsuki Bakugo, his childhood best friend, would continuously pester him about him not having a quirk. At the beginning, Katsuki seemed kind of sad that Izuku wasn’t going to summon a quirk at all, but it wasn’t long before he had completely changed. As time went on, Katsuki’s pestering got worse to the point of him using his quirk, Explosion, around Izuku to try and ‘stress test’ his quirk out.
When Inko had questioned how his days were going, Izuku had completely broken down in her arms, revealing everything that was happening at school and questioning his mother why he didn’t have a quirk. It broke Inko’s heart to see her baby cry, receiving bad news after bad news, but going to Aldera solved nothing for them. The teachers that Inko had talked to would always lie and tell her that Izuku was the one picking fights, and the results were the consequences of his own actions. Inko knew the teachers were lying to her, fabricating stories, but with no proof and their word against Izuku’s, there was nothing she could have done.
Eventually, Katsuki’s pestering got worse, to the point that Izuku was being used as a quirk test dummy. Katsuki would constantly release Explosions around Izuku, or slam his desk with his hands. The teachers had paid them no mind, often blaming Izuku for starting the fight in the first place, and sending him to detention. The class would always laugh with Katsuki, encouraging him to put the diseased quirkless kid in his place.
‘You’ll always be a useless, worthless, quirkless, Deku!’
‘Worthless Deku! With no quirk, you can’t fight back!’
‘You can be our quirk practice dummy from now on! That’s the only thing a useless Deku like you is good for!’
When Izuku had started coming home with his uniform ruined, Inko had questioned him if the bullying was getting worse. Izuku had never hidden anything from her, telling his mother everything Katsuki and his goonies had done. Just as she suspected, Katsuki’s pestering had turned into physical abuse, and started leaving cuts, bruises, and burns all over his body. It had broken Inko’s heart when she helped apply the medical bandages that he needed, promising herself that she would take care of it as soon as possible.
“Bakugo is an honorable student, and only attacks in retaliation. Maybe Midoriya needs to stop picking fights he can't win.” Inko had just about lost it when hearing the principal state such false things about the two boys. She knew that Katsuki was the one beating up his son, the burns had proven it. She also knew that Izuku wasn’t one to pick fights, wanting to be a hero himself and protect others. She just about pulled him out of Aldera then and there but with no backup plan for his education, and the fact that the income she had plus what little Hisashi sent over mostly went towards their small apartment, she couldn’t afford anything else.
“I’m not sure what to do, Yoshida.” Inko started off in their breakroom, running her hands through her hair to try and calm her worries. “Ever since Izuku was diagnosed, the bullying has gotten worse.”
“You’ve tried going to the school?” Haru Yoshida questioned in return, already knowing the answer. Haru and Inko have worked side by side for many years, and while Haru didn’t know the Midoriya family personally, she had painted a pretty decent picture from the times Inko would talk about them.
“Multiple times.” Inko let out a sigh, dropping her hands to the table. “They keep saying that Izuku is the one causing the fights.”
“That doesn’t sound like Izuku.” Haru responded, taking a sip of her tea.
“That’s because it isn’t. Izuku wants to be a hero, he wouldn’t go around just picking fights.” Inko took a sip of her own tea, holding it in both hands as she looked down into it. “If I could pull him out of Aldera and send him somewhere else, I would. Ever since Hisashi left, I’ve just been scraping by.”
“I thought he moved to America to better provide for you both?” Haru questioned, looking at Inko in concern. She could remember the day when Hisashi had packed up and moved to America, Inko had come in looking like a wreck and was sent home by their big boss. Yaoyorozu was a family man, and he always tried to take care of his employees as if they were one of his own.
“That’s what he told me, but the numbers say otherwise.” Inko responded, closing her eyes and hanging her head. “It seems like he is sending the absolute minimum that he can, and I haven’t heard from him in months.” Inko clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles going white. “The only contact I received was when his lawyer showed up with divorce proceedings, already signed.”
Haru was frustrated on Inko’s behalf. Her father had suddenly passed away due to sickness when she was younger and it had only been her and her mother. Even though her mother never had to work after he passed, it was still a struggle for both of them to move on. Haru could relate with Izuku in certain ways, knowing that Hisashi leaving the family must have broken them completely, especially after how much Inko talked about him loving his family.
“I had to purchase two uniforms this week, because the last ones were destroyed beyond repair…” Inko sniffled, remembering when Izuku had come home with many more burns that day. “Oh, my poor baby. I don’t think there was skin visible when I finished bandaging him this time.”
Haru felt her heart break at how Inko was breaking down in front of her. She wished there was more that she could do for Inko, but beyond giving her money to help send Izuku to another school, she couldn’t do much. Inko had refused the first time Haru had offered, knowing that Haru was saving up for a family of her own one day.
Haru reached out and grabbed Inko’s hand in comfort. “Have you tried to contact the education board? This amount of bullying shouldn’t be allowed.”
Inko nodded, allowing a few tears to fall. “Every time I get into contact with them, they refer me to contacting the school themselves. I’ve tried going to my lawyer, and with the school saying that Izuku is causing the fights, there is nothing that he can do. I tried going to the police, but they just informed me that they had more important matters to deal with.” Haru felt when Inko squeezed her hand tighter, the woman looking up at Haru. “I don’t know what to do, and I’m worried about my poor baby. What if he doesn’t come home one day?”
“Do you think that’s a possibility?” Haru asked seriously. If neither the education board or the police were stepping in, there had to be a bigger power at play, and that was setting off red alarms in Haru’s head. Everyone had heard the rumors about kids getting pushed around enough before they finally snapped. Knowing how kind and loving that Inko was, she could only imagine how much Izuku would take after his mother. The world would become a darker place if something were to happen to him.
“It’s getting so bad.” Inko sniffled again, raising up her other hand to clear away the tears. “Some days, Izuku doesn’t seem to register at home. No matter if I put his favorite All Might video on or not, he just seems like he isn’t there.”
There was a knock at the door to the breakroom, causing both women to look towards the newcomer. Yuukichi Yaoyorozu stood in the doorway, looking directly at Inko. She wiped some more tears away, before straightening up her posture.
“Yaoyorozu.” Inko greeted, bowing as best she could in her seat, trying to act like she wasn’t just bawling her eyes out a few moments before. “I wasn’t expecting you back until later today. I hope the meeting went well?”
“Yes, it did. Thank you for asking, Midoriya.” Yuukichi looked at Haru, and could see that she was shooting her pleading eyes towards Inko, requesting him to talk with her. He didn’t hear the full conversation, but he had heard enough to where he understood why Inko was crying. “Can you meet me in my office once you've finished your break, Midoriya? I would like to have a word with you.”
Inko straightened up, worry and concern filling her gut, after hearing those words. “O-Of course, Sir.”
Hearing a knock, Yuukichi looked up from his desk to see Inko standing in the doorway, cleaned up and looking professional again. If he was being honest with himself, he would consider Inko one of his best employees, and would have promoted her long ago if she would have accepted. When her son was born she had reduced her hours to take care of him, which he understood well, having a daughter of similar age.
“Please come in and close the door behind you, Midoriya.” Yuukichi smiled to reassure Inko, but it only seemed to cause her more worry. Inko did as she was requested, before moving over to stand across from Yuukichi, bowing her head in greeting. Yuukichi would wait until Inko raised her head, so there was nothing but silence between them for a few moments.
Finally, when Inko raised her head to look at Yuukichi, he could see tears starting to brim in her eyes again. “Please, have a seat, Midoriya.” He said quietly, holding his hand out towards the seat.
Inko nodded, finding the seat and sitting on the edge, as if knowing not to get comfortable. “Did I do something wrong, Sir?” Inko questioned quietly.
Yuukichi sat back in his chair, bringing his hands up in front of him, connecting the ends of his fingers together. “Why would you think you did something wrong, Midoriya?” He questioned, wanting to see what her answer was.
“You’ve never requested to have a ‘word’ with me before, and never when I was on break.” Inko responded simply, looking down towards her own hands. Yuukichi knew that Inko was telling the truth, because he always made it clear what he wanted to talk about with his employees, and would never request them during their breaks. That was their time, and he understood that many of his employees taking that time for breaks needed that time for themselves.
“I heard part of your conversation during your break.” Yuukichi stated, causing Inko to snap her head towards him. He could see more fear creep into her eyes, and the tears start falling before he could even continue. “Midoriya, please stop worrying so much. You’re not in trouble, neither is anything going to happen.” Inko seemed to relax a bit more, reaching up and wiping her eyes to clear them of the tears. “Deep breaths.” Inko responded well to his words, taking a few deep breaths as she wiped her eyes again.
“The reason why I requested to have a word with you is because I didn’t want the rest of the office to know.” Yuukichi explained, leaning forward on his desk. “I know you’re a very private person, Midoriya, only opening up to Yoshida on occasion.” Inko nodded, a bit of surprise behind her eyes. “Tell me, how is little Izuku?”
“Not good.” Inko said, looking down towards the ground again. “He’s getting bullied to the point of needing medical attention when coming home.” Yuukichi clenched his fist tightly causing his knuckles to go white. While he never experienced what it was like to be bullied, being homeschooled most of his life, his wife had experienced it throughout her childhood. “This past week has been the worst.”
“And the school board, education board, and the police will do nothing about it?” Yuukichi questioned, getting a nod from Inko in response. He let out an angry sigh, causing Inko to look up towards him. “Very well.” Yuukichi opened up his desk, pulling out one of his personal business cards, before turning it over. “I want to help you and Izuku, Midoriya.” He said simply, writing down his own personal name and number followed by his wife’s name and number, before writing an address below it.
“You said Izuku goes to Aldera, correct?” Yuukichi looked up to see Inko watching him, giving him a nod. He reached over and hit a sequence of numbers, before pulling up the phone to his ear. “Do you know how to get to Aldera Elementary in Musutafu?” He heard his driver confirm that he did. “I am sending Inko Midoriya down to you. I want you to take her to Aldera and pick up her son and bring them back to the estate.” Yuukichi watched as Inko’s eyes went wide as his driver responded again. “Please make sure you treat them well.” Yuukichi ended the call by putting the phone back into the receiver.
“Sir?” Inko questioned with wide eyes.
“Please, Midoriya.” Yuukichi said, reaching over and holding out the card. “I told you I want to help Izuku and yourself, and this is the first step in doing so.” Inko took the card, looking down at the information on it. “Of course, you don’t have to accept, but I would like you to meet my wife and daughter regardless. On that card, you will find mine and my wife’s personal numbers, as well as the address to our home.” Inko looked back up towards Yuukichi with even wider eyes than before. “My driver downstairs is waiting, so I will meet you at our estate after you pick up your son.”