"'Zuku."
"Mmmmmmmm."
"'Zuku!"
"Mhhhm."
"It's time to get up."
"Mmnnnnnooo…"
Ochako flipped the light on and turned over to see Izuku pull his pillow over his head, grumbling and grunting. She smirked as his breathing settled again, getting heavy from sleep. The smirk grew as she spidered her fingers under the covers, reaching across her boyfriend's wide shoulders to hug him from behind. She gently lifted her head from the pillow and leaned down, bringing her mouth right next to his ear, and softly kissed him, whispering. He grunted again, but she could see the smile on his face grow. Her smirk grew as her hand ran over his chest, rubbing gently, before pausing.
"Ya' know, I have a way to wake you up…" she purred into his ear. He grunted in response, but didn't move.
"I could…" Ochako started, putting on airs and a sexy tone to her voice, "start with…"
She slipped her hand down his chest, drawing a line down his sternum to his belly button, and just a bit beyond. Her smirk turned malicious as she pressed her cold hand against his belly.
Izuku's eyes flew open as he gave a shout and a massive shiver from the chill of Ochako's hands.
"I'm up!" he exclaimed, rolling off the bed and standing up indignantly, glaring as Ochako rolled with laughter.
She giggled with glee, watching him glower at her. "I'm sorry," she said between breaths, a wide smile on her face, "But I had to get you up! The party is in a couple of hours!"
Izuku rubbed his face in exhaustion and looked at the clock. He frowned at the large red numbers that showed it was ten in the morning. Ochako wasn't lying; the party did start in a couple of hours, but he had slept way past when he wanted to wake up, his exhaustion getting the better of him. He resigned himself to start getting ready, and joined Ochako as she headed into the shower.
The last week since the flooding incident had been a drain on him. Not just the exhaustion of the actual event, what with his liberal use of his internal energy reserves, but the near constant interviews with I-Island security about the event as they tried to piece together what happened, as well as the medical checks that each of the victims had to go through. Izuku never had to worry about hypothermia, but with everyone else presenting symptoms, the doctors weren't taking anything to chance. Their remarks about just how healthy and strong he was had started to rub him the wrong way, like they were digging for something.
Izuku shook it off and focused on the present. He was with Ochako, and the party tonight would be a much-needed time to relax. All the food he could eat, hundreds of heroes to meet and fanboy over, and on top of that, Dave and Melissa had some more tests for him the week after. His birthday was in a couple of weeks, and then he would finally be old enough to take the UA Entrance exam the coming February.
He sighed as he stepped out of the shower, Ochako already toweling off in the bathroom with him. She looked over at him and smiled a sultry smile.
"Be sure to wear that suit your dad got for you," she said. "I have a surprise for you."
She walked out of the bathroom with a bit of a sashay, looking back to see Izuku staring after her, his eyes flitting down as she left. Izuku would be lying if he said that he didn't have a healthy appreciation for Ochako's form. The temptation to stop getting ready and take care of other business was almost overwhelming. But then she disappeared with a giggle.
Izuku huffed bemusedly and turned back to getting ready. There was plenty of time for that later.
Ochako's surprise certainly had left him speechless, mouth agape, and eyes roaming. The thigh-length emerald dress she was wearing hugged her figure in ways that made it look like it was painted on, yet was demure enough for the current party. With her long hair up in a tight ponytail and basic make-up that made her brown eyes pop, she was the picture of elegant beauty.
Izuku's own clothes made him feel simple in comparison, but after she complimented him on the sharp suit and tie, the twinkle in her eye sent a shiver down his spine. The look was almost hungry and he swore he saw her lick her lips before she vanished to answer a knock at the front door, greeting Izuku's parents.
Izuku couldn't take his eyes off her the entire time they traveled to the party. They all fit into Toshi's limo with ease. Toshinori just gave Izuku a congratulatory nod as Inko fawned over Ochako, praising her for the sophisticated and mature look. Izuku made sure to hold the image of Ochako's smile with that dress in his mind, locking away that memory forever.
Once they arrived, Inko, Izuku, and Ochako left the limo first, letting Toshinori change into his Hero form for the party. While the wife and son of All Might were still technically a secret to the rest of the world, they had to take precautions to maintain that illusion. The only ones that knew the truth were close enough to the family that trust wasn't an issue.
"Remember, Izuku, we are here as honored guests, and not because of your father's reputation," Inko had reminded him as they entered the party. Izuku and Ochako nodded and mimed zipping their lips. She gave them a wink as All Might entered the party and he greeted them as if they were old friends.
But when All Might himself walks into a room, the whole room takes notice. The group was swarmed with people, scientists and heroes alike, all looking to say hello to the world's greatest hero. Inko and Izuku managed to sneak out of the way, Ochako following closely behind Izuku.
"Best get some food now, Izuku," Inko instructed the two teens, watching the crowd and All Might closely, "While everyone is busy."
Izuku and Ochako took the cue and bee-lined for the catering, Inko following shortly after, still watching carefully. They quickly loaded up plates with food, sneaking in before the rest of the guests started filtering away from All Might. They dodged and weaved through the guests resuming their discussions, securing a table at the back. Izuku dipped out for a second, getting drinks for everyone. He handed Inko a small flute of wine, and laid out water and punch glasses.
He had just set down the glasses before he noticed the rest of the room get quiet. He glanced around, spotting All Might standing on a podium in the front of the room, everyone else's attention on the Number 1 Hero. Izuku immediately took a seat without preamble, and started eating, casually watching his father as he began a speech. Izuku had seen so many of these over the years that he bet he could predict what his father was talking about.
Ochako giggled softly as Izuku rolled his eyes and turned back to his food, stuffing the mini-pastries and finger foods down, enjoying the delicious flavors. He checked out mentally, just enjoying the food, and barely reacted, copying everyone else as they clapped. But he was slammed back to Earth when Ochako elbowed him, staring at him expectantly.
"Wha..." Izuku started, glancing at her. And then he noticed that everyone else was staring at him.
"Young Midoriya! Stand up, my boy!" All Might called out, "The food isn't going anywhere!"
He chuckled slightly as Izuku stumbled up sheepishly, blushing deeply at the sudden attention. The rest of the guests clapped harder as he waved, smiling and looking around the room. Izuku caught his father's eye and gave him a questioning look.
"We are toasting your assistance with the flooding the other day, young man! Your help was invaluable, and you deserve praise!" All Might continued, his smile growing, even as Izuku could read the pride in his eyes. "This young man embodies what it means to be a hero. Ready to jump in, quite literally, in this case…"
All Might paused as the laughter rose and died. Izuku shifted uncomfortably, glancing down at Ochako and Inko, who both had wide smiles. He was definitely not used to this much attention. But he'd be lying if it didn't feel kinda good.
"And gave of himself willingly to make it so others were safe." All Might turned to look at Dave and Melissa at the front table. They both nodded and smiled brightly.
"Without his help, I wouldn't have been able to save my own friends, let alone the dozens of others that were trapped down there."
All Might paused for a second, before turning from Dave and staring right at Izuku.
"As such, in thanks for valiant effort, and in recognition of his talent and ability, I'm putting forward his name as a recommendation at my own alma mater, UA!"
The cacophony of cheers and shouts that burst out from the crowd was deafening. Izuku smiled as several people came forward and shook his hand. He glad-handed them before All Might cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention again. He gestured at Izuku, indicating that he could sit down, which Izuku did so with gusto before All Might continued speaking again.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Inko asked quietly, leaning over with a knowing smirk.
"Did you know he was going to do that?" Izuku hissed, annoyance rising up from inside of him.
Inko merely smiled and took another sip from her wine. Izuku glowered at her for a second before turning back to his food, trying to keep his emotions at bay. He didn't notice that Ochako was watching him carefully, slowly eating her own food. After a couple moments of silence, Izuku finished eating and stood up.
"Gonna get another drink," he said shortly, before turning away from the table. Inko and Ochako shared a concerned look as he retreated to the side of the room with the catering. They both turned and watched him for a bit before turning back and leaning in to talk.
Izuku slunk over to the drink table, right next to the bar, mentally stewing in his thoughts. He didn't particularly mind the attention and praise; after all, it was nice to have his efforts recognized. But he couldn't help but feel that the recommendation was in bad taste. It felt… dirty, like All Might was pushing too hard to shove Izuku into taking over his role.
Izuku wasn't disillusioned, he knew that his father's time as All Might was limited due to his injury, but Izuku wanted to claim his place by his own actions and deeds, not by some schedule his father set for him. Izuku glowered as he poured another glass of punch. It just didn't sit right with him. It reeked of nepotism.
"Hey, Hey! You know All Might?"
A voice to Izuku's right dropped him from his thoughts. He turned to look at the new person and was taken aback. Standing next to him was a woman with bright blue hair that went down the length of her back, almost past her calves, wearing a bright periwinkle dress that ended at her knees. He noted that her cheeks seemed flushed, her pupils a bit dilated, and there was a hint of sweet alcohol on her breath. She had definitely been getting into the punch bowl.
"Hi! I'm Nejire Hado! You're super interesting! You must be really powerful to be able to help All Might! He even gave you a recommendation for UA! That's where I go to school!" Nejire fired out rapidly, bouncing slightly as she spoke. She leaned in, getting closer and closer. Izuku swore she got a little taller too, as her line of sight rose to meet his own. "What did you do to help? Was it with your quirk? Or just your big muscles? WOW, you're really tall! Like All Might! No wonder you were able to help him!"
Izuku blanked for a second, a smile creeping on his face as he processed what she said.
"Hi, Hado-chan. I'm Izuku Midoriya." He held out a hand to shake hers, which she took and shook vigorously, smiling brightly. Izuku noted a heavy spark of power behind her quirk, piquing his curiosity.
"Yeah, I just helped by cutting through some doors and carrying people. My quirk lets me channel energy into different forms, like heating up my hands to cut through metal. It, ah," he continued, scratching his cheek bashfully, "also increases my strength and muscle density."
Nejire smiled broadly. "That's super cool! That sounds really useful! My quirk is Wave Motion! I can release energy spirals to attack and even fly like WOOSH! It's so much fun!"
Izuku blinked and looked down, finally noticing the small helixes that were spreading out from Nejire's feet, allowing her to hover right at his eye level. The smile on his face grew even more as his energy sense flipped on. The pulses of bright blue energy that pooled and pulsed out of her body were fascinating to watch.
"You have an amazing quirk, Hado-chan. You must have put a lot of time into learning to control it as well as you have," Izuku complimented, gesturing to her feet. "I can see how you are pulsing the energy instead of just letting it out in a steady stream. Very efficient!"
She blinked, a confused look on her face, before she looked down at her own feet, "You can see…?"
"Wait!" She suddenly exclaimed, looking up at Izuku so fast, he swore he got second-hand whiplash, "You can see how I'm using my vitality?! How? Is it your quirk? I thought you said you can channel your vitality like me? Wait!"
Her hands snapped to the sides of Izuku's face and with strength that surprised him, she pulled his head closer, her face getting very close to his. He had no choice but to stare into her wide periwinkle eyes. "Do you have special eyes?" she asked, in hushed awe.
Izuku wasn't quite sure how to react at first. He blinked and then smiled as she smushed his face. "It'sh part of my quirk. Can I have my fashe back, pleash?"
She blinked and then smiled brightly before letting him go. "Sorry, I have a problem with boundaries, sometimes. You were saying?"
Izuku smirked, "Yeah, I can manipulate all kinds of energy, absorbing it and redirecting it at will. I can also see sources, like the electrical power lines in the floor and walls, and even quirks."
"Oooooo," Nejire sighed, "That's even cooler! Oh! So you could probably shape your quirk energy like Play-Doh? That could make it do different things!" Her face somehow became even more excited. "Oooh, can I see? Show me! I want to see what it looks like! Wait-wait-wait, you can see quirks! So maybe you can copy how a quirk looks? You can shoot out energy any way you want, right? Can you do that? Have you tried? Ooh, try mine! Come on, come on, try it, try it!" She bounced a little higher with each question, the excitement getting to her.
Izuku chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, uh, sure."
He held up a hand, and pushed just a bit of power. They both watched as a small mote of green light sprung into life above his fingers, before stretching and swirling it slowly, forming a lazy bracer as it stretched across his arm.
"Aww, it's a baby!" Nejire cooed, her eyes wide as she stared in fascination. "Your quirk spirals so much slower, it's adorable! Here, try it like this!"
Nejire held out her own hand, and a second later, a bright yellow spiral rose out from her palm, the ribbon of energy spinning rapidly as she pushed her life force into the spectacle. Izuku watched, studying her unique waveform through his quirk sense. He noted that it was oddly similar to his own, though much less refined, if he had to guess. Her power was far more chaotic, and was tied to her own stamina, while Izuku's was its own well of power, a bright star compared to a reactor.
"That's really cool, Hado-chan!," Izuku said, smiling at her as she stopped the lightshow, "You have an impressive quirk, and quite a lot of control over it!"
Nejire smiled even more brightly, if that was possible. "Aw, thanks! Yours is pretty cool, too! No wonder you were so helpful to All Might!"
Izuku nodded, his smile wide, "Speaking of which…" he said, feeling his father's familiar presence get closer. He turned to see All Might walk up.
"Ah, Young Midoriya! Young Hado! I see you two met! Excellent!"
"Hi, All Might!" Nejire said cheerfully, waving excitedly, "It's great to see you outside of the classroom!"
All Might nodded and turned to Izuku, "Hado here is the second year Sports Festival champion this year! She's going to be helping with the classes next year as part of UA's teacher assistant program."
Izuku smiled at Nejire, "That's great, Hado-chan, congratulations!"
She beamed and looked between the two men in front of her as All Might started explaining how classes might be changing with the new program.
She noticed how they were almost the same height. And had very similar builds. The smile creased in the corners on their mouths the same. Strong chin. Pointed nose. Separated earlobes. All dominant genetic traits.
She looked at All Might. His quirk was still a mystery, but she had seen him in action enough times to know that he was powerful beyond his form, able to absorb damage and fight with strength enough to cause the air to disperse.
She looked at Izuku. She had only just seen his quirk in action, and while it was impressive for someone untrained, there was something off about it. It was right there, on the edge of her mind. Something about the light he showed her. He said he could absorb and redirect all kinds of energy, and that he was really strong. There was a slight glow of green behind his irises, if she really looked hard, but it was enough.
Her smile grew slightly. One piece of the puzzle was solved, at least. But then a memory popped into her mind. All Might at a collapsing nuclear reactor. And a bright green beam of energy let loose into the sky. And a green haired man in the rubble.
Her eyes grew even wider. "You!" Nejire gasped, pointing at him.
All Might and Izuku looked at her, shocked by the outburst.
"It's you! You were at the reactor! You did the laser cannon blast thingy at the reactor!" Nejire said, smiling broadly as she bounced happily. "I figured it out, right?!"
Izuku and All Might glanced at each other, eyes wide, a sweat drop forming on each of their foreheads.
After All Might managed to get Nejire to calm down from celebrating her discovery, and managing to convince her to lay off the punch, the two men made their way over to one of the serving tables, and pretended to be snacking.
Izuku's eyes and ears were searching for anything, piqued due to Nejire's outburst. Getting found out like that had set him on edge, and he really didn't want to think of what might happen if someone picked up on what she was so excited about. He stuffed another meatball into his mouth, and chewed, not really tasting, as he scanned the room.
There was one comfort, however. He felt Ochako's pink and delightful presence approach from behind him, and turned to greet her, smiling wide as she leaned in and up, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him deeply. He melted into the welcome reprieve of her embrace, eagerly returning the kiss, wrapping his arms around her back.
After a couple of seconds, she pulled back and smiled up at him, running a hand up along the side of his face.
"Didn't mean to interrupt, but it looked like you could use that," Ochako said softly, stroking his hair gently.
Izuku nodded. "With how this evening has gone," he said with a heavy sigh, smiling wearily down at her. "I really needed that. I really needed you."
She cocked her head to the side in a questioning manner, but didn't say anything. He debated just telling her the whole truth right then, but this wasn't the place, nor the time. He shrugged and attempted to strengthen his smile. "Just dealing with D-, I mean, All Might's announcement. I wasn't expecting it, and then having someone from UA come up and congratulate me was a bit of a surprise."
Ochako's smile widened just a bit, her eyes sparkling, "I suppose a surprise like that might be a bit much, but we both want to go to UA, so why don't you want the recommendation?"
Izuku grimaced and shook his head. "Because I want to get in on my own merit, my own deeds and actions." He glanced over at All Might, who was now talking with a bunch of other heroes, laughing heartily. "If I accept the recommendation, then what does that say about the work I have done, the work we have done? It would be wasted effort."
"You want to prove that you are worthy of being at UA, not handed a chance?" Ochako asked.
Izuku nodded, "Anything but my best effort means that I don't deserve it. UA's the best, right?"
Ochako nodded with a facetious grin.
"Well, I want to prove that I belong there."
Ochako huffed and shook her head, before butting it into his chest. "You are a massive nerd, Izuku," she said, smirking into his chest. She looked up at him. "We have been training since we were kids. You have worked your absolutely sexy and toned ass off. You have put in more work than most people would do their entire lives, and it shows." She glanced down at his lips for a split second, before biting her own, giving him an sultry look.
Izuku knew that look all too well, his brain catching for a second.
"And, goddamn, does it show, 'Zuku." She finished, running her hands over his biceps, up his shoulders, to his neck. He felt her fingers glide over his skin, sending shivers across his back.
He grunted slightly, leaning as she pulled him down gently, leaning up for a kiss again. He glanced around nervously, "Not here, 'chako."
Her eyes fluttered a bit, with a smirk followed by a quick kiss. She turned away from him. "If only you could make us invisible.." she muttered, loud enough for him to hear. She glanced back, the spark in her eyes never fading. "Oh, the things I would do to you."
Izuku sputtered and managed to turn it into a cough, his neck feeling very hot all of the sudden. He quickly turned back to the table as Ochako giggled next to him. He glanced around again, self-conscious and blushing, and spotted a brief flash of familiar sparkly green hair.
'Perfect!' he thought to himself, turning to Ochako. "Hey, there is someone I want you to meet! She works with Melissa!" He ignored Ochako's delighted laughter at his overly obvious attempt to change the subject, but she followed along as he led the way.
He wove their way through the crowd easily enough, thanks to his large frame, but as he got closer, he noticed that Hana didn't look like she was enjoying herself. Off to one side of the room, and staring at her phone, with a frown. When they got closer, he could almost feel the anxiety and worry emitting from her.
"Hey, Chikamishi!" Izuku called out, raising a hand to wave at her. When she didn't respond, he grew more curious and concerned. He didn't want to cause a scene, so he waited until they were practically right next to her.
"Hello, Chikamishi-san!" Izuku said, keeping his voice lower.
Hana jumped, her eyes snapping onto Izuku the moment he said her name. In that brief instant, they looked wild and panicked. Then they focused on Izuku and Hana released the breath she had sucked in. "Midoriya, you startled me. Have… you been standing here for very long?" She tried to take a deep, stabilizing breath as subtly as possible, though Izuku could barely hear how shaky it was.
Izuku smiled, trying to make it as comforting as possible, and shook his head slightly, "Just walked up. Sorry for scaring you, but I wanted to introduce you," he gestured to Ochako, who was standing next to him, smiling brightly.
"This is Ochako Uraraka, my girlfriend," he said simply, "Ochako, this is Hana Chikamishi. She's a friend I made earlier."
Ochako leaned forward and extended a hand in greeting, "It's nice to meet you!" she said, "I hope Izuku hasn't been too much for you? He usually finds a way to get one of us in trouble somehow." She smirked, glancing up at Izuku with a twinkle in eye.
After slipping her phone into one of the pockets of her dress pants, Hana accepted Ochako's hand with a small, polite smile. "Hardly," she replied softly. "I know my fair share of trouble magnets, and I'm very glad both of them were present with me last…" She hesitated and her eyes fell to the floor. "…last week." She cleared her throat to dislodge the bad memories and tried her best to focus on the two in front of her.
Izuku glanced around, "Speaking of, where's your sister? I haven't seen her since, well, the other day. I would have thought you two would want to spend the party together."
At first, Hana said nothing. She looked away, her eyes falling to the faceless crowd around them, and she subconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. When she finally spoke, she did so quietly, almost in a whisper. If Izuku hadn't grown up with Shoko, he might have missed what she said. "We should be spending this party together, especially after last week. But she left me —and I-Island altogether— with the lame excuse of work getting the best of her."
Ochako caught the not-so-subtle hints of discomfort that radiated off of the woman in front of her, and glanced up at Izuku, who shared a look with her.
"Are… are you alright?" Izuku asked cautiously, "Everything okay?"
"It's fine," Hana responded shortly, unfolding her arms quickly, clearly self-conscious about the gesture.
"It… it doesn't seem like it," Izuku pried gently, "Are you sure?"
Hana sighed harshly. "I'm…" Izuku knew the next word she wanted to say was either 'sure' or 'fine', but instead, she lamented, "I'm just frustrated, is all." She glared at the floor as she ranted. "This party was supposed to be time for me to relax with my loved ones, something I sorely needed after the emergency situation last week. And of course, just when I needed them, they all vanished on me. They didn't even give me any acceptable reason why, as if they were just brushing me off! And of course, when it rains, it pours. The alcohol here isn't strong enough to distract me from work or the bad news that just hit the Hero News Network."
Before Izuku could respond, Hana's eyes widened, just a little bit, and she winced, seemingly shrinking into herself, self conscious about her monologue. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to dump my troubles onto you two."
Izuku and Ochako smiled and he waved away her concern, "It's okay! Really. Sometimes you just need to get stuff out. Sorry to hear about your sister. She seemed… nice," Izuku said, trying to make it sound sincere. He'd be lying to himself if he didn't think that her behavior around him was a bit off-putting, but he tried to be kind for Hana's sake.
Hana shook her head. "You don't need to save my feelings for my bitch of a sister. We both know the way she had acted was out of line. In fact," she said, bowing her head, "I'm sorry for the way she acted to you. She doesn't trust easily, especially with people she thinks are stronger than her. You fit in that category very easily, Midoriya." She paused for a moment. "It's… an old wound of hers."
A flashback of the large scar along Junko's neck popped up in Izuku's mind, and he idly wondered if what Hana said was literal or just a figure of speech. He smiled again, putting on an accepting air, "It's not a big deal, I was just hoping that I didn't say or do anything to upset her."
"Izuku can't handle rejection," Ochako loudly whispered teasingly, "You should have seen him when he was younger and he tried to get some B-list Hero's autograph and she turned him down." Ochako smirked at her boyfriend who frowned and shook his head. "He was distraught for a whole day," she finished before giggling.
"Yeah, but I was right about her," Izuku defended, "Miruko just got the Number 5 spot! Gah!," he lamented, "If only I had gotten her autograph then…"
Hana blinked, momentarily forgetting her woes. "You met Miruko before she was Number Five?" A small smile found its way onto her face, yet it was laced with a bitter sadness. "I wish I could have done the same. Now, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to meet her."
Izuku tilted his head curiously, "What do you mean?"
"It was on just about every hero news app this morning. She was attacked yesterday," Hana said sadly, "and she was mortally wounded."
Izuku stared at her for a second, his mouth slightly agape. How had he missed that? His daily routine included checking all of the apps first thing in the morn— Izuku closed his mouth. Of course he missed it. He slept in late that morning, and then immediately started getting ready for the party. He cursed himself slightly for spending so much energy during the rescue to get that exhausted.
With a thought, Izuku's Interface flipped up, and he immediately began searching for any and all news about Miruko, his heart beating faster with every article he read. She was hospitalized following a fight with a villain, but not just any villain: a brutal hero-killer. An S-class villain known for devastating, lightning fast attacks, and for always leaving with a gruesome trophy.
Malice.
Izuku shivered a bit as he read. The name alone was enough for pause, but the records of the heroes that she had tortured and dismembered were proof that any Hero who came across her path was not going to walk away whole. His eyes widened as he read from one of his favorite news writers. A first for Malice. Miruko had managed to not only get away, but she also didn't lose any limbs or appendages. Just 'heavy slashes to her side', from what the report said. Izuku could read between the lines, though. The kind of damage Malice did meant that Miruko had been close to bleeding out. It was a miracle she hadn't already.
He sighed and shook his head, dismissing the green holographic display. Ochako and Hana had been chatting about the event of last week, and while he was only vaguely listening, Miruko hung in his mind. It was unusual for Malice to attack someone so popular. She normally stuck to the B-listers, the up and coming heroes. This was the first Big-Time Hero attack Izuku had heard of.
He glanced down at Ochako, who was listening to Hana's retelling of the Flood, before Izuku noticed a strange figure out of the corner of his eye. He glanced to see a raven-haired woman wearing jeans and a black tank-top walk right up behind Hana. She winked at him before tapping Hana's right shoulder, making her turn. But the new woman moved deftly to the left, keeping out of Hana's line of sight until she spun fully around, right into a waiting kiss.
Izuku and Ochako watched in surprise as Hana stood there in shock for a second before leaning into the kiss herself. Izuku and Ochako glanced at each other and shrugged, before the women parted, both of them giggling and smiling.
"Maria!" Hana chirped with a brilliant smile, much wider than Izuku had ever seen on her face. "How—? No, why are you here? I thought you said you couldn't make it to the party!"
"Logical ruse, bitch!" Maria almost shouted, grinning from ear to ear, flipping off Hana with both hands. "I did it just so I could see that gorgeous smile of yours!" She pulled Hana in for a tight hug. "Besides, do you really think I would let you navigate this tight-wad 'stick-up-my-asshole' party without me?" she said quietly, eyes closed as they hugged.
Izuku's smile grew wide at the pluckiness of the new woman. He had to admit that he couldn't agree more with her attitude about the party. Ochako seemed entertained as well, giggling as the two women pulled back from their hug.
"Oh, where are my manners?" Hana cleared her throat, turned towards Izuku and Ochako, and gestured to Maria. "Midoriya, Uraraka, this is Maria Hyll, my fiancée. Maria, dear, this is Ochako Uraraka and Izuku Midoriya. He's the one I've been telling you about."
Maria glanced between the two and nodded, smiling broadly, before extending a hand to Izuku, "Ah, so you're the new Hero Hana has a crush on." Izuku took her hand and was surprised at how strong her handshake was. He also noted her quirk was far different than anything he had seen before.
Hana froze, her cheeks blooming into a furious blush. "M-Maria, you know it isn't like that!"
Maria laughed loudly, "Yeah, he's not exactly your type," she turned back to Izuku, "Thanks for saving her ass. I'd be more than a little pissed if I lost her to a bit of water. She's too strong for that kind of weak-ass ending."
Izuku watched Hana's blush intensify under the praise, and laughed along with Maria, "Well, I was in the neighborhood and thought she might need some help."
Maria chuckled, "Oh yeah, Hana, I see why you like him," she teased, ribbing her fiance.
"Maria!" Hana hissed, her face redhot now, making all of them laugh.
"Okay, okay! No more teasing!" Maria looked back at Izuku, her smile bright and earnest. "Seriously, Midoriya, thank you. If there is anything I can ever do to repay you, just name it."
Izuku smiled and nodded and was about to dismiss it, but then an idea struck him, "Well, there is one thing," he said softly, extending his hand again.