INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I've been thinking about this for a while now, but after last week's reviews, it has been decided. Once this fic is done, there will be a Shinsou-centric sequel! I've already plotted out a good portion of it, and I am very excited to take you guys on another adventure with me!

Hiro: IM FREAKING OUT

Asa: STOP FREAKING OUT

Hiro: I CANT DEKU IS COMING TO OUR HOUSE

The florist rolled her eyes fondly and laughed. She should've expected this.

Asa: You've already met him and you go to school surrounded by heroes every day! This isn't anything new.

Hiro: YES IT IS AND YOU KNOW IT

Well, he had a point— just not the one he was trying to make.

Asagao leaned back in her chair, letting her mind wander over the short list of people she'd dated. She got to the end of it and realized, yeah, she'd never brought anyone home before. This really was something new.

She stared up at the grey mid-January sky. The sun had been struggling to peek through the clouds all day, but to no avail. Asa was just glad it wasn't raining— Izuku had a long patrol today, and a cold, soaked-through boyfriend wasn't ideal on the day he was meeting her parents.

The plan for the evening was as follows: finish up some final details for a wedding next weekend, close the store, hop on the train to Izuku's, get changed, probably take about ten minutes to calm him down, and then head out together toward her parent's house.

The ding of the shop bell pulled the florist back to the present, and she put on a friendly smile. Time to check item one off the list.

Thankfully, the appointment was with one of her nicer clients (trust me, she had plenty of stories to tell about nightmare brides and grooms). They reviewed the selections— specifically for the ribbons, which the woman had gone back and forth on at least half a dozen times. At the end, Asagao handed over her usual complimentary bottle of champagne as a gift, and the moment the woman was out of sight of the shop windows, Asa threw off her apron and began to close up the shop.

When she burst into the backroom to get cleaning supplies, Meiko and Akari looked up at her knowingly from their station by the roses.

"She's free!" Akari teased.

Meiko set down the watering can and wiped her hands on her apron. "Leave the cleaning to us, Na-chan. I know you have a big day."

As if on cue, a swirl of purple began to reach toward Asagao, and she swatted it away, laughing. "I'm perfectly fine— it's Izuku I'm worried about. I wish I could bottle your quirk and bring it to him."

"Who would've thought the number one hero would get so nervous about meeting parents?" Akari wondered aloud.

"I don't think anyone is excluded from meet-the-parents anxiety," Meiko replied.

"I definitely wasn't," Asa agreed. When she tried to reach for the window cleaning solution, it was quickly snatched out of her reach. She frowned, but when she looked up, Meiko was giving her one of her typical motherly looks, and Akari was smiling brightly.

"Go on!" Akari said, shooing her away. "Go save your hero!"

A grin cracked on Asa's face. She did as she was told, putting her hands up innocently and wandering over to grab her purse and coat. The florist tossed her employees a quick wave before she skipped out the back door, jittery with excitement.

The hustle and bustle of downtown Tokyo rush hour matched her mood precisely. In some strange way, she felt like she was falling in love all over again. Maybe it was because this was a big step, maybe it was because the business had been going well since its reopening, maybe it was because Izuku being back in her life after all of that mess was just so wonderful and filled every day with joy. Whatever the cause, today was a special day, and the smile on her face refused to leave.

Getting off the train in a new area of town, however, still took her full attention. She'd forgotten to hop off at the right stop last week and had wound up in a completely different neighborhood. After the repeated incidents with villains at Izuku's apartment, he had finally decided that relocating would be the safest option. She followed the route that was slowly becoming more and more familiar to her toward the more ritzy part of town.

Izuku had hated moving to such a fancy area— he'd told her as much with every box he packed, because he didn't want to give an impression of opulence because that wasn't what being a hero was about. It had taken a while to convince him that, of course, no one thought he was in it for the money, but he'd told her he still felt awkward walking streets lined with million dollar mansions.

The florist arrived at his new place within a few minutes. It was a modern house of medium size, blockish and paneled with a mixture of concrete, warm wood, and glass that she knew was bulletproof. She let herself in with her personal code on the keypad, then slipped off her shoes. The warm glow of the setting sun cast the minimalist space in hues of orange, and she smiled gently. Something about this place was already beginning to feel a bit like home to her.

Asagao followed the sound of footsteps up to his bedroom on the second floor, occasionally tip toeing around boxes that hadn't been unpacked yet. When she got to the bedroom, she knocked on the open door.

Her hero spun around. One of his hands was doing up the buttons on his shirt, and the other held a toothbrush to his teeth. "Hewwo!" he greeted.

She snorted. "Hello to you, too."

Izuku's mouth formed a quirky grin around his toothbrush. "Here, lemme—" he said, rushing off to the bathroom. Asa shook her head fondly.

By the time he came back, she was in his closet pulling out the change of clothes she'd stowed away for tonight. Asagao caught a glimpse of red cheeks before he pointedly looked away.

He cleared his throat. "Good day at the shop?"

"Yup," she replied, shimmying off her work pants and sliding into a pair of black jeans. "Not much out of the ordinary— Serinuma-san finally decided on the purple silk ribbon."

"I thought she'd chosen the white lace?"

Asa laughed, "She did, but she changed her mind again." Asa popped her head out of her pink sweater. There was a cute little zipper on the back, and after several failed attempts at reaching it, she grumbled, "Izuku? Can you help?"

Her boyfriend turned to look, and she held up her hair to let him see the zipper. He nodded. Asagao shifted so that the zipper was toward him. She hummed a nonsensical tune, her mind aimlessly going over their route to her parents' house once more.

All of that came to a stop when she felt a feather-light kiss on her neck.

The florist shivered immediately, a deep heat pooling inside of her. Something warm and wet flicked over her skin, and she fought back a groan. She should probably berate her boyfriend— after all, they had a train to catch, and she fully intended on arriving on time. But then teeth were sinking in, nipping and sucking lightly, and she decided everything else could wait.

Asa let her head fall back against his chest, basking in the heady wave of his affections. His hands were on her waist, gentle but firm as his fingers ran circles over her sweater. She let out a whimper, squirming and hoping he would slip those fingers underneath, but he didn't.

His tongue was laving generously over her shoulder now, working its way up to her ear and then back down again to the juncture of her neck. She was panting, frustrated, and there was another delicate kiss to her earlobe before he pulled away and zipped up the sweater as requested.

Asagao spun on her heel, knowing full well that her eyes were a mixture of fury and desire. "I hate you."

Izuku gave her a cheeky grin. "Sorry."

Fighting the urge to drag his lips down to hers and beg for more, the florist stalked past him. "I need to brush my teeth. Try to not devise any more plans to make us late while I'm gone?"

"No promises!" he called after her.

The first thing she did when she entered the bathroom was check the mirror for any marks. As gentle as her boyfriend was, he had a tendency to leave a trail (not that she minded). When she didn't see any, she muttered, "Thank god it has a high neckline." If her sweater didn't, she'd be screwed.

By the time she was exiting the bathroom with fresh breath, it seemed Izuku had done a complete one-eighty. No longer was there a suave, daring boyfriend who liked to tease her at the worst moments possible— no, now there was a man who was incredibly anxious, pacing and mumbling nonstop.

Smiling knowingly, she teased, "Where's my confident man from a minute ago?"

Izuku startled, freezing. "O-Oh, I just— well, first of all, I don't think you want me acting like that in front of your parents," he pointed out.

"Oh god no," Asa snorted. He gave a shaky grin, and she walked up and began to smooth down his shirt. "Just be you, Izuku. Don't be what you think they'd want you to be or anything like that. And if you need a break—"

"—we can go out to the garden," he finished, reciting their backup plan with a sigh of relief.

Her smile turned softer. Asa reached for his coat on the edge of the bed. "Right," she said as she handed it to him. "I'll be with you the whole time, okay?"

Izuku swallowed hard. "Right, I mean, that would be a little weird if you just left. Super weird."

Laughing, Asagao leaned up on her tip toes to press a a peck to his lips. Before she could leave, though, he wound his arms against her, chasing her lips with his for just a few seconds longer.

When he leaned back, she was pleased to find his expression brighter than it was before. "Thanks, I needed that."

She shook her head, grinning. "You don't need to say thank you, silly."

"I will anyways," he shrugged. Another quick kiss, then, "I love you, Asagao."

Asa nuzzled her nose against his. "I love you, too, Izuku."

They walked hand in hand to the train station, continuing their previously cut off conversation about work. Apparently he'd dealt with a couple thugs in a back alley, but nothing too news-worthy.

For as peaceful as their walk there had been, the peace did not last. The moment they sat down on the train, they were bombarded with near constant attention. Anyone from the age of four to eighty wanted a slice of Izuku's time— and, shockingly enough, a few also happily waved at Asagao.

One passenger in particular right now was a little girl who could be no older than eight years old. Asa honestly wasn't sure how she'd gotten into this conversation, but the girl was looking down at her hands and frowning, and Asa just couldn't leave things like that.

"I don't know, I just don't think my quirk will ever be super strong like yours or Deku's," she mumbled.

Asa felt her heart squeeze a bit. "But you don't know that it won't be," the florist corrected gently. When the little girl looked up, Asagao smiled. "You said your quirk was lame, but no quirk is lame— and neither is not having one at all. We all get to choose what to do with the potential we're given, quirk or not."

The girl's gaze shifted back down toward her hands. She held them up, looking at the protruding spikes on the end of them curiously. "Potential…" she murmured.

Nodding, Asa said, "That's right. You can be as strong as you want to be if you put in the work."

There was a squeeze, and violet eyes glanced sideways to see Izuku gazing at her adoringly. When the time for their stop came, Asagao waved goodbye to the little girl and the rest of the crowd that had flocked to them. It was weird to be so at the center of attention…but also touching. And maybe it was something she could turn into a good thing, just like how Izuku used his position to raise awareness for all sorts of social injustices. She could be like that, too. It made her smile just thinking about it.

"You handled that really well," Izuku commented after a bit. He pressed a kiss to her hair, and she snuggled into his side.

"I'm getting used to it," she replied.

"I'm glad," he laughed honestly. "I didn't…I don't know, a lot of stuff comes with dating me— which you know, of course, but still, I didn't know if it would all be too much, just…stuff like that. The attention and all."

Asa shrugged, "So long as you take the brunt of it, I'll be fine. But there might be times when I'm too tired and I'll want you to just carry me somewhere instead."

Her boyfriend chuckled, and Asa giggled, too. She really was so content.

And of course, the moment had to be ruined by the impending doom of what was about to happen.

"Breath," Asa said as they walked up to the door.

"Yup, breathing," Izuku wheezed.

"You're gonna be fine."

"Yup, gonna be just fine."

"It'll be over soon."

"Very, very soon."

She grinned up at him brightly, and he gave a strained smile back. If she was being truly honest with herself, she was nervous, too. After the kidnapping and the Toga-incident, her parents had expressed some…opinions on her dating the number one pro hero. Namely about how dangerous it seemed to be. She really didn't know how this evening was going to go, but regardless of what happened, she had no intentions on letting go of Izuku. Not after everything they'd been through.

Before she could let her thoughts go down that rabbit hole any further, though, the front door swung open. "Nē-chan!" Hiro cheered. "Deku-san! Come in! Come in!"

Izuku immediately let out a laugh. "Really, Midoriya-san is fine, Hiro-kun."

Asagao had to hold in her own amusement when she saw her little brother's eyes widen. "O-Of course!" he stammered. "Here, we— they're in the kitchen!"

He darted off, and the couple traded a humored look. As they toed off their shoes, Asa whispered, "See, you're not the only one that's nervous."

Her boyfriend rolled his eyes, a bad habit he'd picked up from her. She took his hand again, noting how he took in a deep breath and straightened up to his full height. When he gave her a nod, she lead him further into the house.

"We're here!" she called out.

"We're just finishing up," her mother's voice replied.

Grinning, Asa pulled her boyfriend forward. Just before they turned the corner to the kitchen, he squeezed her hand one last time.

"Table's all set, honey," her dad greeted. His brown eyes immediately flickered down to where she was holding Izuku's hand, then back up again. He stepped forward and inclined his head. "Nakano Haru. Pleased to meet you, Deku-san."

Izuku's voice was rigid when it came out, "Midoriya Izuku— pleased to meet you too, Nakano-san!" he replied with a low bow.

Asa gave her dad an amused grin. "Midoriya-san is just fine with him, dad."

Before anyone could respond, her mother was coming through with a big bowl of rice in her hands. "Please, everyone have a seat," she said. "Let me just get the last dish out, and we'll be all set!"

They did as told, and Asa made sure to keep a hold on Izuku's hand when she noticed that he was stiff as a board. She'd never seen his back so ramrod straight in her life— not even during interviews after a battle. There was always this fascinating, confident ease to his shoulders. Like everything would be okay just because he was there, and he would never let anything bad happen.

But right now, she could tell that he very much felt at the mercy of a situation he couldn't control.

Thankfully, the silence was broken by Hiro chirping, "I told Aizawa-sensei you were coming over today!"

Izuku's lips turned up. "Did you?"

"Yup, he said to make sure to not let you touch any of the food," Hiro snickered. "Something about burning curry during your second year in the dorms?"

A flush came over her hero's cheeks. "Yeah, I was trying to fix something for Todoroki-kun because he got sick, but I'm not the cook of the group, Kacchan is, and I forgot something in my room and went to go get it, and then I got caught up doing homework and— oh wow, Nakano-san, that looks great!"

Asa felt some relief of her own when her mother smiled. "Thank you, Midoriya-san. It's our Asa's favorite."

A joke about her having good taste was on the tip of her tongue, but she shut it down before it could slip out.

Dinner passed…acceptably. Izuku was quieter than his usual hundred miles per hour ramblings, and most of it was small talk about how her parents' jobs were going. No one asked about Izuku's job because, well, they all sort of already knew. Asa didn't miss the fact that no one brought up the escapades of the last few months. She figured those were sore spots that no one wanted to touch with a ten foot pole.

As soon as the meal was over, however, Izuku insisted on doing the dishes. The couple found themselves in the kitchen scrubbing away, and she could hear him taking in deep, calming breaths beside her.

"You're doing well," she murmured. When his head whipped around to look at her, she smiled gently. "It was a little awkward, but first meetings usually are, I think."

"You did fine with my mom," he countered.

"Not perfect, though," she shrugged. "I was freaking out all day before you two came."

Her boyfriend blew out a big sigh. "Yeah, I just— I don't know, I feel like I need to say something about what's happened."

Asa bumped her hip lightly against his. "Only if you want to. Don't do it for any other reason."

Izuku nodded and dried off another dish.

As soon as they were done, Hiro was dragging Izuku into the living room to play a board game. Asagao hung back and watched, grinning when she saw her boyfriend's shoulders relax.

"He seems nice."

Violet eyes turned to see her parents next to her, both holding cups of tea. "He's nervous," she answered honestly. "He wants to make a good first impression."

"Hard to make a first impression when we already have one of him," her father muttered, not unkindly. Asa could sort of understand. She'd already had an image of him in mind when they'd first met— it just came with being the top hero.

"We're giving him a chance," her mother cut in. Her eyes were crinkled with worry, and Asa felt her heart clench. "But, Asagao, you know our concerns, and—"

"You've already told me them," she cut her off. She really didn't feel like having this conversation again.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air, only to be cut off by the sound of Hiro and Izuku laughing. Asa looked back over. The tension in her chest was relieved some by the brightness in Izuku's eyes.

Without another word, the florist let herself be pulled in by Izuku's presence, settling down beside him and flashing him a smile. "So, what are you two playing?"

With him by her side, it was easy to ignore the lingering awkwardness for the next hour. Her parents watched the board game, not making any comments, and Asa just told herself to give them time. She knew they were worried, like any parents would be after all that had happened. But Izuku was her choice, and they would have to accept that.

It was nearing nine when she nudged him and asked if he was ready to go, and Izuku's eyes drifted to the right. She watched him clear his throat, posture straightening.

"Nakano-san?" he said, and both of her parents looked up at the same time. "Er…would you both mind showing me around the garden? I've heard a lot about it from Asagao."

Immediately, Asa figured out what he was trying to do. Her parents and Izuku filed outside a moment later, and she smiled after him.

Hiroyasu leaned over, expression conspiratorial. "Is he asking for dad's permission to— ow!"

Asa snickered and withdrew her hand from where she'd pinched his arm. "I think he's just trying to smooth things over."

"They'll get over it," Hiro said. Asa gave him a surprised look, and he shrugged. "Sometimes I hear them talk about it. I don't know why they're worried, though— he's number one. If anyone can keep you safe, it's him."

Asagao nodded slowly. She could only hope her parents agreed.

When the three of them came back inside fifteen minutes later, Izuku still looked a bit tense— but not as much as before. Her parents also looked somewhat at ease, and Asa held in a sigh of relief.

They leave with a wave goodbye, and though it's nothing like the way her first meeting with his mother had gone, Asa can't help but think it was a success.

To be honest, Izuku felt emotionally exhausted.

You would think after fighting villains day in, day out for however many years that this would be easy. But no, it wasn't, and he'd known it wouldn't be from the start.

He'd had a feeling as to why he hadn't met her parents yet. There could be the explanation of timing, busy schedules, etc., but now he knew for certain. Even as he'd promised them that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe, to not let anything like that happen ever again, they looked unsure. And honestly, he didn't blame them.

More than that, though, Asagao's words on the train had been rattling around in his head for the past few hours.

"You said your quirk was lame, but no quirk is lame— and neither is not having one at all. We all get to choose what to do with the potential we're given, quirk or not."

He wanted to tell her. He'd been toying around with the idea for a while now, and he felt like it was time. Was it a risk? Yes, but so was everything else in their relationship. He wanted her to know his story, to know his quirk, to know everything because— well, it felt like he still had so much hidden from her, and he hated it.

As they made the journey home, Izuku settled it in his mind: he was going to confess everything.

Now, that didn't keep him from feeling jittery all over again during the train ride home. They weren't bothered this time, and thank goodness for that— Asa seemed tired, her head leaning against his shoulder and her eyes closed. Should he wait for another day? No, no, he needed to do this. No more avoiding it.

He was still running over how to say it when they arrived back at his house. She was going to stay the night since they hadn't seen each other much this week, and he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep if he didn't go ahead and tell her.

The second they walked in the door, Asa said, "You've been quiet."

He tried to not flinch. She could read him so easily. "So have you."

"I'm tired though," she yawned. "You're a different kind of quiet. You're 'thinking' quiet."

Izuku opened his mouth to protest, but wound up laughing awkwardly. "I'm— yeah, you're right. Can we talk about something? Nothing bad," he added on quickly, "Just…something important."

Asagao blinked, seemingly trying to wake herself up again. After a moment, she nodded, and he lead them over to the couch in his new living room. He sat down, and she immediately cuddled up against him. She let out a little happy sigh. His heart melted.

"Is it about my parents?" she questioned. "Because I feel like I should've given you a heads up, and I'm sorry about that."

"No, no, it's not that," he shook his head. "It's…it's something else."

His sober tone must have made her realize how serious this was. Asagao shifted so that she was no longer leaning on him, now sitting upright and giving him her full attention.

He swallowed. "R-Right, um…I want to tell you about my quirk."

Her mouth dropped open. "Oh."

Izuku nodded. "Yeah."

There was a silence, during which he watched a thousand emotions run through her beautiful violet eyes. "Izuku, you don't— if you don't want to, I completely—"

"No, I want to," he insisted.

She blinked, then smiled softly. "Okay. You know me— top secret, lips zipped tight, no one will know."

"I know," he laughed. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. When his eyes reopened, one of Asa's hands was holding his own. He stared into the comforting depths of her patience gaze. "My quirk is called One for All."

She nodded. "Okay, and what does that mean?"

"That's a great question," Izuku chuckled. "I-It's um…it's hard to explain."

Asagao squeezed his hand. "I've got time."

He gave her a shaky grin. "Right. So…um, it might be best to start from the beginning— or, no, maybe not." Izuku took a moment to think over the timeline. "Okay, so…One for All isn't your normal kind of quirk. It's not biological or genetic, technically."

His girlfriend's head tilted in confusion, but she didn't say anything.

Izuku's heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. "One for All is passed down by choice from one person to another. I was…I was given this quirk."

Violet eyes widened. "Oh, so— so, do you have two quirks, or…?"

This was it. "I was quirkless."

Silence.

He couldn't breathe. He'd known— well, he'd hoped— ever since he'd found out about Hiroyasu that she would be understanding, that this conversation would go well, but—

"That explains a lot of things, actually."

Izuku startled. "Huh?"

Asagao had a contemplative look on her face. "Why you help raise awareness to stop bullying quirkless kids. Your interest in Hiro. How you don't overuse your power even though you could. Your obsession with quirk studies. It…" she trailed off, eyes flickering back to meet his. "It connects a lot of dots."

He didn't know if there was any air in his lungs. "So you're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" she asked. "It doesn't really change anything, I just know more about you now. Who gave you your quirk?"

Oh right, that part. Izuku mentally slapped his face to get past the fact that she didn't really care she wasn't mad oh thank god— "All Might."

If she'd been drinking water, he was sure she would've choked. "O-Oh," she stammered. "That's— o-okay, then. That…yeah, I can see that."

Izuku managed a small smile. "Yeah, I was surprised, too."

Izuku could see the cogs in her mind spinning. "How— wait, how does it get passed on? Is there a ritual or something?"

And now he felt like the one who would be choking. "I-I, um, it's— yes," he struggled. "It's passed through DNA. I, ah…I had to eat a piece of his hair."

All at once, the tension in the room shattered. Asagao burst out laughing, burying her face in her hands as she said, "You're kidding!"

"I wish I was," he laughed. "It was awful."

"Oh my god," she gasped. "That is the wildest thing! When—?"

"Just before the entrance exam," he explained. "Shattered my arm because I couldn't control it yet. It sort of gets stronger each time it's passed down, so…it's a lot."

His girlfriend was wiping away tears now, her giggles slowing down. "I'm sure it is. So wait…who all knows? Hold up—" she cut him off before he could say anything, her eyes wide, "—does the League of Villains know? Is that why they got your hairs off me?"

He shook his head. "No, they don't know. And it's only passed on by choice. Even though they had my DNA, they couldn't have taken it from me by force."

"Whew, okay," Asa sighed. "That was…okay, I'm glad I didn't know that back then."

Izuku squeezed her hand tightly. "It was early in the relationship anyways."

She nodded dazedly. She still seemed to be thinking things over, and he gave her time. After a minute, violet eyes looked up again. "So why now? Why are you telling me now? Not that I don't want to know," she promised, "but I'm sure you have a reason."

Green eyes flitted downward to their connected hands. He traced circles on her skin with his thumb, wondering how he should put it. "I…there's a lot of reasons," he admitted. "But mostly— do you remember what you said at the shop reopening? About the future of our relationship?"

"Yeah?"

He made himself look up. "Well…I want to make it clear that I want a future between us. I— I don't want this to end, and part of it continuing is you knowing all of me, and that includes my quirk. I don't want to hide that from you anymore. And I know it's a big step, and it's a really big secret you have to keep now, but— mphf!"

As she so often did, his girlfriend cut off his ramblings with a kiss. And as he always did in return, he wrapped his arms around her and melted into it.

Please leave a review! Only about 6-7 more chapters left, and then: SHINSOU TIME!