Chapter Text
Yaoyorozu Momo was born into a really wealthy family.
From the beginning, she was always aware of the heroic industry and its difficulties. She was trained to bear the industry. Although she often questioned her future, she wanted to save people. It pushed her forward from minute to minute.
She had to wanted to be the best.
When she became the vice class representative for Class 1-A, she felt a little disappointed. Of course, it wasn't because Iida had become the one, it was just that with all the attacks, it was really up to her to come up with the plan. Not to Iida. To her.
Everyone was relying on her, and the pressure almost crushed her.
Why did they vote for the boy when they were counting on her? It just... wasn't fair. Yaoyorozu always knew she had good leadership skills. She loved what she did and she loved to see things through. She didn't want to brag about them, but when trouble happened or a problem needed to be handled, a little voice in everyone else's head shouted "Somebody help me!" while hers would shout "Go! Help them!".
So maybe it hurt a little that they didn't fully notice her potential. Or what is even that? Some wasted potential?
She doesn't mean to speak bad about Iida, but jealousy creeps under her skin some of these nights. On times like this it was not impossible to imagine herself in the boy's place. Where she should be according to her parents. If she would was good enough. She felt bad even thinking about these things of her classmate, her friend.
My parents only would have been happy if I had followed their designated path, she often thought.
This was often said on the phone too. She used to behave very differently with her parents back home. She was perfect. Then after they moved intothe dorms, her world view began to crack slowly. And the memory of home became stifling. She could no longer imagine herself playing perfect at home, pretending to be the best. Because in reality, that's hardly the case. On the phone, however, it was easier to pretend.
Now as well, she was after an unpleasant phone call with her parents.
Sometimes they liked to call.
"We heard there was another attack. Were you involved in it? If I were you, I would have taken the opportunity in front of the cameras- Make sure you look good next time!"
"You've put on a bit of weight, haven't you?"
"Dear, what do you mean by being stared at? You're a hero, of course they're staring! Bring fame to your family and be a good daughter for us, okay?"
She hated it.
Yaoyorozu doesn't really think her parents want to harm her. She doesn't think they would harm her. But the thing is, as much as they love her, their daughter was drowning. Sinking into an ocean of expectations and just sinking, desperately and silently crying out for someone - anyone - to save her.
"Mum, I don't really want to do this anymore, it's getting weird. Like there is a short boy in my class-"
With each passing minute and sentence, she sank deeper and deeper.
But they wanted her to further promote their name. Not because they wanted to use her, not really. Yaoyorozu believes they're doing it for her own benefit.
Even if it meant using her body.
"Be confident to show a little flash sometimes, it will only increase your popularity."
She hated it.
Especially her mother would say. Sometimes she would invite her friends over for one of these calls, so Yaoyorozu had no chance to escape. At that time it was not easy to pretend. She was drowning.
"Oh, dear, we saw the new version of your costume. A cape? You should change it, right? It can be uncomfortable in battle!"
"It's very covering, don't you think? Too much if you ask me-"
"Come on, leave a little treat for your male followers too!"
She hated it.
But their perfect daughter happily agreed on the phone as always.
Why-Why-WHY-
Footsteps.
One, two, three... The sounds slowly grew louder as they came closer. Eventually they got close enough to pull Yaoyorozu out of her whirling thoughts.
Who could it be? she thought. It was quite late. Maybe someone was just out for the evening, maybe for a late night snack? No, there's no need to walk down this corridor...
Then the steps stopped.
Were they looking for her? It would make sense if they stopped outside her bedroom. Yaoyorozu mentally pulled herself together in an instant. She wiped away her tears and took a quick glance in the mirror to see if she looked perfect acceptable. She didn't look bad. If her hair was a little dishevelled, the other could easily have put it down to the fact that it was late at night and she was presumably asleep.
Two hesitant knock, then- "Yaoyorozu?"
Is that... Midoriya?
She found herself letting out a sigh of relief. It’s just him. No need to be afraid-
Wait, why did I thought that?, she asked herself. Was she really relieved that it was Midoriya?
But why?
I mean, she liked Midoriya. Who didn't? He always stood up for her. He also successfully knocked Mineta over to the other side of the training ground if he went near Yaoyorozu - or any other girl. He always said it was a coincidence or an accident. It also took a while for her to notice, but he always managed to position himself so that he was blocking her chest in front of the camera. Unlike most men in the hero industry - not to speak bad about their classmates or teachers - Midoriya was different.
He never sexualised her, or any girl. Nor their costumes. Not that the other men in her class - even her teachers - have done it, but it's different when they do something against it. And she knew that if she had someone to turn to, it would be him. - He was strong, but he never wanted to use that to hurt her. He never wanted to use his strength to keep her in fear or to make her do things. He didn't comment on her, he didn't try to control her, he simply defended her as a person.
She felt safe with him. They all did.
"Coming!"
She opened the door and let him in. A few times they were in each other's rooms, for example when everyone showed off their designs, but randomly tuning in at night was not common. She was not worried, she trusted him. She was more worried for him.
"What's new? Did something happen? " she asked without thinking twice.
"Hi, thanks for letting me in," greeted the green-haired boy. "Nothing's wrong, relax. I just came to talk."
Yaoyorozu nodded, suggesting he should continue.
"Um, this might be a bit of an awkward subject, actually. But I'd rather get straight to the point. I've already spoken to Hagakure a little bit about it. Your situations are different, and since you’re basically born into this, I think you're a little more aware of the...er, darker side of the hero industry. Am I right?"
The girl nodded again.
"All right, this will save us a little time. I- I came here to help you do something. I have a plan. You know what's wrong with the industry and they hurt you too. I made a plan and everything is going well, in a week we could make everything a better. I'll try to fix it in a week. We will. If only a little. It's risky, with the whole popularity ratings, information leakage and so on. Look, I know what I'm offering is not the best, but if we want to make a difference, we have to do something." urged Midoriya. He ran his hand through his hair, which he does when he's nervous. By the end, he was almost mumbling.
"What do you mean?"
"I am talking about your costume, your role and your position," he tried to explain. He waved his hand in front of him as he emphasised the words. "You know it's not right what they make you do. I've got a solution. Don't worry about other people, worry about yourself. Are you in?"
She knew what she had to do. For her future. "Make us proud!" her mother always said. But-
No. I can't do that, Midoriya, she thought.
"What if I say no?" Words spilled out of her mouth into the night. A heavy silence fell around them in her room. The boy's eyes widened slightly, as if he hadn't expected this answer. He seemed to be rethinking what to say. Then he took a deep sigh.
"Then you choose that. I can't make that decision for you, but I can offer you a way out. Please. Just hear me out. You don't have to decide now. Just listen to what I have to say, okay?" Before Yaoyorozu could respond, he continued. "Do it for yourself. But also for others. For Hagakure, who is currently sitting in my room waiting for us to help her. For a girl in the future, who will not have to cut out her costume to achieve something. For a person and a child who you will show that a quirk and a body is their choice. You are a hero, Yaoyorozu. You help others. Let me help you this time. And I've got some tips, so... it won't hurt to come."
If I do something, if I try to change things everything can collapse, like a carelessly toppled house of cards. But-
"Okay," she said finally. The boy's face relaxed nicely. "I'll listen, but I can't promise you anything."
Just listening won’t change anything. My house of cards will still be standing. Nothing is going to collapse. I’ll just listen, she promised to herself.
"That's all I ask."
A smile came to his lips, and stayed there as they walked through the dormitory.
Although she has been in the boy's room before, she is always fascinated by the many All Might-themed objects.
Midoriya's room wasn't messy, but it wasn't as tidy as hers. The windows were open, letting in the fresh and still warm air. The desk in front of them was lined with textbooks and the familiar yellow bag. Next to the door was the boy's bed, nicely made up. Just as she remembered. On the bed, however, Hagakure sat, judging by her clothes.
Yaoyorozu waved kindly and smiled at the invisible. She could see from the movement of the dress that the other did the same. Yaoyorozu took a seat next to Hagakure, also with her feet up on Midoriya's bed.
The green-haired one, on the other hand, did not sit down, as he was rummaging wildly through his notebooks. How many notebooks does he have? she wondered. The two girls gave each other a look, worriedly. Midoriya was running back and forth in his own room, like an excited puppy, looking for the one notebook with who knows what in it. The wrong notebooks were lying open on the floor where he had thrown them, and the girls could tell from just one or two pages that Midoriya was officially a genius.
Crazy, but genius.
"Found it!" he suddenly shouted. He held a slightly worn, thick notebook in his hand. He sat down next to the girls, forming a small circle. He put his notebook in the middle, facing the girls, because he already knew what was in it and had no difficulty reading it upside down. Yaoyorozu caught a quick glimpse of the pages with their names and drawings of their classmates' costumes.
Was this booklet about us?
But what really caught her attention was that the boy had pulled out two small notebooks of stapled pages from his older one. He put one in each of the two girls' hands. Their names were emblazoned on them.
He made a special booklet for them, in preparation for this conversation.
No wonder why he thought I would go for it.
"So, this may look a bit like as if I've been stalking you, uhh, but I really haven't. Everything you see is based on interviews or my own observations, so anybody could to this, literally. Oh, and if anything is wrong feel free to correct me," he began to explain. He recited the words as if he had already practised them. He waved for them to open it. The two girls looked at each other, and although Yaoyorozu couldn't see it, they both nodded with a smile.
Then they opened their pages. Yaoyorozu felt her breath catch, and beside her Hagakure took a sharp intake of breath too. There's not really a good word for it. Breathtaking. Amazing. Maybe- no, definitely- the equipment was better analyzed by the way he did than anyone before.
Yaoyorozu has seen a couple of shows on quirk analysis, and was genuinely impressed by how they were able to look behind people's quirk and make the best use of it. She's also been to one or two counselling sessions. Her parents dragged her to many places as a child to learn the best use of her quirk.
To learn what to raise thier child to be the most successful.
And she knew how much money they were paying for a page like that. If the green-haired one did it seriously as a job, or he did some kind of professional course, he might make more money than if he were a known hero. It also shows that Midoriya is clearly not in it for the money, although he could help many people as an analyst too.
How did Midoriya gather so much information without asking them or seeing the original blueprints?
But it was not only existing equipment that was included in the booklet. In addition to their current support equipment and costumes, newer ones were also shown. And the only explanation for this is that he has improved their existing costumes or made new ones. For them. She didn’t know what to feel. She was grateful, even though she had never asked him. The pages, the tangled writing, glowed with caring.
Yayourozu, who was raised in money, with money controlling the defining points of her life, finally got the saving she always needed, for free.
"Midoriya..." Yaoyorozu released a sigh. Her voice cracked, she couldn’t finish what she wanted to say. She didn’t lift her eyes from the notebook, like it was glued there. Luckily for her, she didn't have to finish.
"Yeah, well... Uhh, you can see the extras here, and the new designs here," he pointed to the right and then to the left corner of the page. "Hagakure and I talked vaguely about the idea behind the new costumes. Yaoyorozu, I assume you know how Mirio's costume works. Or Mount Lady's. In short, they take the DNA extracted from the hair and multiply it to make a dress. We'd use the same thing for yours. Questions?"
Both girls shook their heads.
"Good. Now, let's talk a bit about my extra remarks. First, Yaoyorozu your diet is holding you back." The girl in question had her eyes slightly rounded, not that anyone could tell. No one knew she was on a diet. She quickly opened her booklet at a page where she could see was called 'FOOD INTAKE'.
"I noticed about two weeks ago that you don't eat nearly as much as everyone else, even though your quirk could take twice as much. You need to eat," he emphasized, waving his hands wildly. "I'm not judging your body, but if you don't eat and continue to be a hero, there can be serious physical consequences. I've already spoken to Fat Gum and a few other food-based night heroes and compiled a list of my food tips. In the back of your notebook it is written in detail. Please use it."
Yaoyorozu bowed his head slightly in shame, trying to look away from him.
"You should also carry food with you. If a battle drags on or you get stuck with rescue missions, you should have supplies with you. It doesn't have to be much, maybe a few energy bars. You can give it to your teammates and classmates whose costumes allow it, in case you lose yours in battle."
She looked down at the notebook. This was roughly what was on the page called 'FOOD INTAKE', along with more detailed reasoning and a new eating plan. There was no chance of forgetting anything, thanks to everything that he wrote down.
"Er...Next! Hagakure, Yaoyorozu, you both have a chapter called 'MARTIAL ARTS'. Hagakure, since you specifically don't have any weapons, you must at least learn the martial art of taking down enemies by hand, whatever they may be. Kick-box, Judo, Karate or any other, it doesn’t matter. If you get caught in the future, or even splattered with talcum powder, you will have to fight your way out. If you take a tip the best for you is to do Mixed martial arts."
Hagakure - if they could’ve seen it - looked like Christmas came early for her. Finally, someone doesn't give more problems, but solutions.
"Yaoyorozu, you have a lot more options, but I emphasise it in the same way. I'm doing it, and I've got Uraraka doing it. Not to mention Kacchan too. If you choose one that requires a weapon of some kind, you can simply have it manufactured on the battlefield. Choose one that is effective, my suggestions are all written down." Midoriya paused and turned a page in his notebook. "In addition, Snipe is the best choice for your next internship."
"Huh? Why?" she raised her head in confusion. "I thought you were going to suggest someone with a similar quirk to mine, like Fat Gum."
"First, I think what I've asked him for so far, with the dietary instructions and other advice written down, covers what you need. If you need anything else from him, I’ve got contact details. Let's just say he and Amajiki owe me for some analysis."
Yes, that makes sense. Still, Yaoyorozu never thought Midoriya would be so prepared.
"Also, there are many UA teachers who are good at martial arts, including Aizawa sensei," the boy continued. "Take afternoon classes instead, don't waste your internship on this."
"Of course, I understand. But how does Snipe come into the picture?"
Before MIdoriya could open his mouth, Hagakure replied. "I think you could use your quirk to make weapons, like Midoriya said. But you could also make a gun! Right?"
"Yes, I was thinking the same thing. You can learn there how to make a weapon and how to use it. Air rifle, presumably. Snipe has one of the best gun using agencies. They also have other kinds of firearms. Explosive devices and arrows. Oh, and about the bullets for the guns. Since you are not allowed to use a regular bullet as a student, I suggest you ask the support department for help in making a tranquilizer bullet of some kind before your intership. Of course, not the organic kind, because that's out of limits. I've written down some of my ideas, but I don't know the exact abilities of yours. I have a guy in his second year G class. He's an ace in the tranquilizer field, so you should find him."
Tranquilizer bullets?
Honestly, she’d never really thought about it. If she can make it... God, how simple it would be. Relatively easily from a safe distance.
Yaoyorozu leafed through the book she had been given. He wrote a lot, outlining almost every possible way, with advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes a few lines of commentary from Midoriya appeared at the bottom of the page when he was in a hurry to get ahead. Then, pages later, the commentary would appear, explained. From these short comments, she could see his enthusiasm for quirks.
'...The costume should also have a belt to attach the gun to, and the like. God, I have to match it with her fighting style!! She could use different weapons in close and long ranged combat, and could also make smoke bombs, poisoned arrows (she can't make organic matter so we're looking for a poison that doesn't contain it, or can be put on it from a small tank), electric nets (to catch villains), bulletproof armour, air rifles or air cannons – CANNONS! – and even make ammunition for them... Girl, I beg you to read some pre-quirk war books!!!'
Very similar comments to this, with tiny scribbles. Next to the lines, there were some arrows and smoke bombs, in Midoriya’s sketchy style. Not gonna lie, they were cute drawings.
Next to her, Hagakure and Midoriya continued to talk. She wasn't really paying attention, lost in the thoughts of her own notebook. Even before she read it she thought it was brilliant, but frankly... it was far above all expectations. She only got this because she agreed to listen? She didn't even say yes... And now, she'd be a fool to leave all that knowledge behind. Most of them aren't even discussing problems, just the possibilities!
He just gave me a perfect and a very long analysis that will affect my whole career! This is professional level advice, Midoriya! For FREE! You shouldn't have started with my costume, but with this, she screamed inside.
She remembers what he said back in her room. "And I've got some tips, so..."
Really?! A little underestimated, don't you think?!
Yaoyorozu was now very happy that she listened. Not because of the costume, but because of the improvements. And in fact, the boy didn't even talk about half of what was described! There are more topics, like 'EDUCATION', 'TRAINING PLAN' or 'WEAKNESSES'.
But to be honest, the costume design wasn't bad either.
A realistic solution. Hagakure had already agreed, but Yaoyorozu hesitated. Especially because of the drastic change, not to mention her parents. But it wasn't mainly about the costume. It carried a symbolic meaning, she knew that.
If she changed it, she would send a message that she was not owned.
It would attract bad attention and she could be erased by the hero industry. Of course they wouldn’t want their heroines to become more self-aware. If they start, others will join in. From there, either they'll erase their names from the heroes' rolls or there will be a rebellion.
A design revolt would break out. There's already plenty of hero merchandise about costumes. Yaoyorozu knows that once this starts, there's no stopping it. What was it Midoriya said?
"I came here to help you do something. I have a plan. You know what's wrong with the industry and they hurt you too. I made a plan and everything is going well, in a week we could make everything a better. I'll try to fix it in a week. We will. If only a little. It's risky, with the whole popularity ratings, information leakage and so on. Look, I know what I'm offering is not the best, but if we want to make a difference, we have to do something."
It hits her like a train.
Midoriya knew this.
Of course, the analysis is important for bringing her here, but that's not what this was about. The analysis was only one part. She had no doubt that he had really called her here for her analysis. But maybe he knew he wouldn't have said that back in her room. This was about Midoriya doing something. Starting with them. And boy, he had a plan.
He wanted to involve Yaoyorozu. If he weren't making a symbol of it.
And then the leaders would have even more reason to get rid of her. It's a dangerous game. There's a reason why almost all the girls in the industry have such sexualised costumes. In fact, many boys also have costumes that are too tight or easily torn. If all of a sudden a lot of people changed their costumes, it would get the attention of civilians. There have been attempts, but if UA students take the lead, it could be at a different level. It wouldn't just affect them.
It would affect everyone.
"Do it for yourself. But also for others. For Hagakure, who is currently sitting in my room waiting for us to help her. For a girl in the future, who will not have to cut out her costume to achieve something. For a person and a child who you will show that a quirk and a body is their choice. You are a hero, Yaoyorozu. You help others."
Midoriya's words made more and more sense. Back at the time, she didn't understand what he really meant. But now-
This was not about her. Or more specifically not only about her. So many people in this situation... And Yaoyorozu could help. She could deny it, she may pretend not understanding what Midoriya actually meant, but she could help. And she became a hero precisely to help.
Just like he does. Always.
"Midoriya," she interrupted the boy's endless monologue. Their eyes met. And Yayorozu knew he understood.
"I'm in."