Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to My Hero Academia. All properties therein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love.
Note: Apologies, I planned to start the Sports Festival here, but doing so would have made this chapter much too long. Instead that is likely to start in the next chapter.
Note: Fantastic reaction to the last chapter, thank you all for your support.
Note: Anyone figure out who I've chosen to receive One for All yet?
Note: Not gonna be a Himiko Toga pairing in this story, sorry. I have nothing against her being paired with Izuku in other stories, but I don't see it working in this one. She's dynamically insane, but that isn't the kind of person Izuku would feel could work best with his goals and plans. He might use her to fit his plans later, but he won't seduce her.
Note: Bit of a longer chapter here. It started off as just the Sports Festival, but then I decided I wanted to focus a bit as well on Izuku's life and the people in it during all of his scheming.
Note: Canon timeline is weird as hell so yeah I'm gonna be playing with it a bit.
Chapter Five - The Plot Thickens
Aizawa and Principal Nezu entered the Tokyo Central Police Station to no fanfare. All-Might's friend Detective Tsukauchi had requested it that way after all, and they quickly found themselves shuttled to meet the man in the observation side of Interrogation Room 4, where another detective was grilling a bald man in a worn leather jacket.
"Who is he and why did you request our presence?" Aizawa asked, his goggles hanging loosely from his neck.
Tsukauchi answered, "The last uncharged villain from the USJ incident."
Nezu blinked, "Why hasn't he been charged yet? It has certainly been long enough for the paperwork to be filed."
"That's the weird thing." The detective answered. "A lot of the ones we picked up haven't been charged yet. In fact, the vast majority of them got off with extremely good legal counsel spotting loopholes in the case and violations in evidence collection. Those lawyers were well beyond the means of the class of thug that attacked your students. That same legal council is coming here for him in about," he looked at his watch, "Ten minutes. We managed to hold him this long by forcing all the paperwork for the others he worked for on him at once, but it won't hold. The man's quirk allows him to read at an ungodly rate. This man is our last chance to find out who was really behind that attack."
"What do you mean?" Aizawa questioned. "The League of Villains took credit for it."
"Yes, but I don't think they planned it. Based on their apparent capabilities, hacking your security, planning the infiltration of your training facility, and organizing the mass retreat like they did should have been well beyond them. No, I've been tracking criminal activity in this prefecture and several of our neighboring cities and that efficiency matches several other major crimes reported over the last year. It's possible that your attack was organized by the same person. What's more, the captured thugs in those crimes were summarily aided by advanced legal counsel in the same way this one is."
"What else can you tell us?"
"Only that despite the intricacy of the crimes in question, the percentage of violent crime committed in those same prefectures has actually gone way down. Less muggings, fewer home invasions, no sexual assaults, and no drugs being dealt to kids."
Aizawa raised a brow, "This seems like a promising lead, why hasn't it been followed up by anyone other than you?"
Tsukauchi frowned, "I've brought it up to the top brass several times now but I keep getting railroaded."
"What's this punk's name?" Aizawa asked as the detective grilling him left the room.
"He goes by Mr. Orpos. Quirk is a slight enhancement to physical strength. We've had him in the box for eight hours now, minimal water, thermostat set to ninety degrees, and constant interrogation. He'll be putty in your hands, which is good because we only have five minutes left and he's our last chance to get any information on the planner."
Together they entered the room, and Orpos woozily spat at all of them. "Crazy, cop, fuckers." He ground out, "I have rights."
"Yes," the detective sat across from him, "and none of them have been broken. We haven't touched you, you don't have to say anything to us, and we haven't let you freeze to death. Yes, this ninety degree thermostat setting is quite useful. So why don't we talk about your boss."
"The League-"
"No, not them." Nezu spoke up this time, taking note of the way the villain's head was starting to sway from exhaustion. Tsukauchi hadn't been kidding when he said they'd put this man through the ringer. "Your real boss. The one who planned the USJ attack."
"Y-You don't know what you're talking about."
Aizawa started stalking back and forth behind him, "Then explain it to us."
"Can't." He answered, the sweat falling down his face in waves. "It's… against the rules."
"Rules?" Nezu leaned forward, interest clear to see, "Whose rules?"
"No. No! I can't say it!"
"Why?" Tsukauchi demanded.
"Consequences."
"For who?"
"All of us." Orpos was practically falling over and Nezu was starting to suspect heatstroke was a real threat to the man.
"Give us a name and we can protect you."
"You can't protect us from you."
The detective's eyes grew wide, "From us?"
"He has his tentacles everywhere."
"Who does?" Aizawa asked from the corner now.
"Moriarty." One word, just that one word, escaped from the exhausted, overheated, sleepless man, and the moment it did his eyes grew huge and he started to visibly panic. "No, no, no! You didn't hear that! I didn't say that!"
Tsukauchi grinned triumphantly, "Yes, you did. And you made it clear doing so would end badly for you, so why don't you tell us more about this Moriarty and we can offer you protection."
The detective seemed thrilled with his new discovery, but Nezu was watching their prisoner's eyes. The raw terror held within them. This felt… wrong. They were missing something here.
"It isn't about me." Mr. Orpos was practically sobbing now. "You don't get it. I said his name. You never say his name to anyone that doesn't know it. You don't do that! Not to him." His tears stopped falling and a haunted look crossed his eyes, "He'll find me, he'll find my family, and he'll make an example. And then he'll find everyone we ever cared about and do the same to them so that no one else ever does what I just did."
"We can help you." Aizawa said, "Witness protection-"
"Isn't worth shit against him." Orpos finished, his eyes turning down to stare at the solid metal desk before him. "There's only one way to fix this now. One way to atone."
"Orpos-" The aura of wrongness was so strong now that even Tsukauchi could feel it. He rose to his feet, probably to try and head off whatever was coming, but his captive beat him to the punch.
"Tell my family I love them." In a flash Mr. Orpos jerked his body forward and slammed his skull as hard as he possibly could into the edge of the table before him. There was an audible crack, a spray of blood from a caved in skull, and then the thud of a body falling to the floor.
"Medic!" Aizawa yelled, rushing to the criminal's side, but it was too late. The man, it seemed, had used his quirk to increase the power of his slam and there was now a fricking crater in his skull from the point of impact. He wasn't breathing, and from the looks of things he wasn't suddenly going to start. Placing a finger to his throat, the hero known as Eraserhead groaned and looked up at his companions, "He's dead."
Just then the door to the interrogation room burst open and two men rushed in. One in a fine suit and the other an immaculate police uniform with the lapels of a high-ranking officer. "What is the meaning of this!" The officer demanded.
"Is that my client!" The suited man erupted before turning on the detective, "I'll have your badge for this!"
"He did it to himself." Tsukauchi tried to defend himself.
"I don't care!"
The officer gave the lawyer the side-eye and he dutifully slammed his jaw shut. "Wait outside. Your client no longer needs your legal advice and this is now a police matter."
The man seethed, "I will be filing a suit with the city." Then he stormed out.
Silence reigned for three seconds before the detective said, "Captain Menam-"
"Save it." The captain growled. "You were told to cease this kind of behavior Tsukauchi. What is more, you were warned to stay away from these prisoners. That order came all the way down from the National Police Agency Commissioner General. What the hell were you thinking!"
For a moment Tsukauchi actually seemed cowed by the vast anger being sent his way, but then he rallied. "I was thinking that something smelled rotten, and I was right. Before he died Orpos gave us a name, Moriarty. Don't you get it captain? My theory was right on the mark. There is a man directing the criminal element from the shadows. If we can just find him-"
"Do you even hear how crazy you sound? What's more, do you even understand the situation you find yourself in? You disobeyed direct orders, forced a prisoner into subpar conditions for interrogation when he was supposed to be waiting for his lawyer as was his constitutional right, and then, worst of all, you let him die on your watch. No, Detective, you don't have a proven theory. You have a clusterfuck of epic proportions that you've lobbed on our department like a live grenade to deal with. That lawyer wasn't spouting smoke when he said he was going to levy a lawsuit against us for this and I guarantee that people higher than me are going to make sure you feel the pain for that."
"W-What are you saying sir?"
"I'm saying that for now you are suspended." His rage finally spent, the older man ran a hand wearily through his hair. "Go home, Tsukauchi. I don't know exactly where the fallout from this is going to land, but at the very least you can expect a demotion in your future. And you can forget about whatever leads you found here, you'll never be allowed to follow through with them. Not when this is the result." He gestured to the corpse, already being covered with a sheet and removed from the room by a pair of medics. "You fucked up, Detective. I'll expect your badge and gun on my desk by the end of the day."
Having said his piece, the Captain followed his medics and the corpse from the room, leaving Tsukauchi alone with the pro hero and UA principal.
"I'm sorry, Detective Tsukauchi." Nezu spoke up, still a bit rattled from having born first hand witness to a suicide. "What can we do?"
The human lie-detector stared at the wall for a moment before snapping back to reality. "You can keep up the investigation." Before either of his companions could argue anything he faced them both fully, "Orpos was speaking the truth as he knew it during our interrogation. That means whoever this… Moriarty is, he has connections. High connections. Enough to meddle in a police investigation at least. I'm being put out so I'm out of the game, but you're not. Call Sir Nighteye, he's the best hero investigator I know."
Aizawa huffed at that, clearly annoyed.
"You're too busy to focus on one sole investigation, Eraserhead, but he's not. This kind of thing is exactly the type of mystery he lives to solve. Give him the information we learned today. I'll do what I can to help him, even if it's just as a private consultant.
The heroes didn't like what had happened that day, but they agreed with Tsukauchi that this Moriarty character needed to be looked into. No one so terrifying as to make a man kill himself rather than face repercussions for uttering his name could be allowed to go free in their society.
Okinawa - Some Time Later
Izuku rode up to the military base on Okinawa in the back of a blacked out SUV with Mei on his lap and an open file in his hands. It was a bit of a game for them by that point. How much could he read before his adventurous girlfriend could distract him with her kisses?
Eventually their game had to come to an end as the vehicle stopped before a large hanger. The two passengers exited their seats and walked hand in hand inside. They were not stopped even once.
"Izuku, not that I don't love going on drives with you, because I really do, but why are we on a military base of all places?"
The greenette smiled warmly and hit a switch on a nearby wall to open the last doors to the open space ahead, "See for yourself."
'Open space' might not have been the best phrasing in this case as the entire structure was filled with top of the line machinery, military weaponry, and large construction tools. Izuku turned to behold the gobsmacked look on his girlfriend's face and felt warmth bloom into his chest. He loved it when he was able to surprise her.
"W-What is all this?"
"It's your new supply chain. I thought you might get a bit bored working with the same materials and 'Moriarty's' contact in the military was happy to find some space to hide surplus materials away for our use. Now you can create to your heart's content with top of the line military grade equipment-"
Anything else the greenette was going to say was cut off as he found his lips occupied with Mei's own. The kiss was deep, long, and almost violent with its intensity as the girl pushed him back into the nearest wall and started pulling at the buttons of his vest and shirt. When his bare chest was visible to her magnified gaze she started running her hands all over him and leaning in for more.
As much as he loved where this was going, the criminal overlord needed to be sure of something. Dastardly villain he might be but he'd never touch someone without consent. "Mei?" When she startled suckling on his neck in a way he was growing to love he tried again, "Mei!"
"What?" The pinkette leaned back to address him directly. Izuku's hands had not exactly been idle either and her mechanic's jumpsuit was unzipped and pulled loose to her waist displaying her beautiful torso and breasts only barely confined behind a black bra. "Are you seriously stopping us right now?"
"Not stopping, merely clarifying." He began to run his fingers over her ribs, delighting in the way she shivered under his touch. "This is farther than we've ever gone before, and I think we both know where it's about to go. Are you sure you're okay with that?"
"Are you?"
In spite of himself, Izuku blushed a bit at the direct question. "Well, I'll admit to being a bit nervous. This is my first time you know."
Now it was Mei's turn to blush in kind. "It's mine too, but I know that I wouldn't want to do this with anyone but you. You gave me everything , Izuku. Please, let me give you this."
He smiled and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I could never deny you anything, Mei. I just want to be sure here, you're ready for this?"
She smiled and cupped his face. "It means a lot you want to know that I'm comfortable, but I'm more than ready."
"Then let's go."
*Note*
**** (Originally I did write a lemon scene for this but I was not anywhere near satisfied with how it turned out. Maybe later I'll revise it and add it in, but it'll probably be much further down the road. Sorry.) *******
Forty-five minutes later
Lying on a bed made of their own clothes and sated in ways they'd never known were possible for themselves, Izuku and Mei held each other and smiled.
"That was-"
"Amazing." Mei breathed. "We really got after it. Are we sure we've never done that before?"
"I would hope I'd remember taking you like that if it had already happened, Mei. Speaking of, I guess you've got something of a pregnancy kink then? I mean, with the way you were clutching at me and begging me to finish inside you…"
She blushed as she answered, "It's really more of a breeding kink. It turns me on to think I'm literally making a baby, at least it did when I masturbated in the past. It was a lot more intense in this case." A slightly nervous look crossed her face then, "Is that okay? It's not too weird for you is it?"
Acting on instinct Izuku tightened his arms around his partner and sighed happily as she molded herself closer to his naked body. "Nothing you do could ever be too weird for me. People have kinks, I understand that, and I would never judge you or anyone else theirs. I want you to enjoy sex with me, Mei, and if that means pretending to knock you up then I'll do it. Though I hope you know we'll need to take steps to stop it from actually happening. I'm a bit too young to be a father I think."
The pink haired mechanic giggled at the thought of little Izuku's running around her apartment, but agreed that it was definitely too soon for either of them to be parents. "I get that completely. But that does raise the question, what kinks do you have?"
Izuku seriously thought about it. "I'm not quite sure. I know I really enjoyed what we just did, but I haven't explored my sexuality enough to know what else turns me on yet. I've been too busy-"
"Too busy taking over the criminal underworld, turning your company into one of the most profitable in Japan, and dipping your toes into hero politics with the election next month. I know." She reached up and combed her fingers lightly through her man's green hair, an action that she'd noted more than once seemed to calm him immensely. "Well, I'll just have to work harder to help you figure them out then. Everyone needs a kink or two of their own."
"Is this coming from your suddenly vast wealth of sexual knowledge?"
"Oh hush you, and keep taking that breather. I'm gonna be ready for round two soon enough."
"I've created a sexual monster."
"You know it. But while we're cooling off, what else do we have to do this week?"
"Well, we have that interview with 'Heroes Tonight' this evening."
"Oh right, why are you even doing that anyway? Doesn't it hurt your secret identity to put your face out there like that?"
"I'm doing it because making my face so famous is so overt it's covert. Think about it, who would suspect a national celebrity of being a murderous crime lord?"
"I guess that makes sense. They want to interview you as the head of Brighter Horizons right?"
"Yes, and they want to meet the beautiful girl that's been on my arm for the last few months." He kissed her cheek and added, "Then tomorrow my mom's invited you over for dinner."
Mei blinked, and suddenly grew very nervous. "Y-Your mother invited me?"
"Hm? Oh yeah, she knows I'm dating someone, strange the things she misses and the others she picks up on right away, anyway she wants to meet you and won't take no for an answer."
"D-Do you think she'll like me?" Mei wasn't a fool, she knew exactly how important Inko Midoriya was to her son.
"I think she'll love you." Izuku said to ease her worries. "How could she not when I already do?"
"You do."
"Yes, Mei. I love you."
She squeed with delight and rolled herself on top of him to begin another snog fest. When she finally came up for air she said, "Oh Izuku, I love you too." Then she wiggled her backside a bit and smirked, "It seems like little Izuku also loves me, and is ready for the next round."
Izuku sat up and delighted in the way the motion affected his girlfriend's heaving breasts. "Little Izuku isn't the only one."
The two of them stayed very busy until it came time to leave and prepare for their interview.
Later That Evening
"Good evening folks!" A well suited man with the morphed head of a giant lizard sat behind a news-desk before a live studio audience for a massive soundstage and currently rolling cameras. "If you're just joining us now, I'm your host Light Skaldur, and this is Heroes Tonight, your number one source for updates on hero rankings, the latest in hero news, and the current state of support innovations. With us tonight is a teenager that's been making headlines for months now. His trademarked 'crime factor correlation' technology has revolutionized police work in Tokyo, he's become an outspoken financial backer for the challenger to the seat of the Head of the Hero Safety Commission, and he's the CEO of the fastest growing and newest sensation in hero support. He's joined here tonight with his head mechanic / girlfriend. Please join me in welcoming to the stage, Izuku Midoriya and Mei Hatsume!"
The crowd erupted into applause as two figures entered from stage right, waving all the while before taking their seats on the prepared leather couch next to the desk. "Thank you both for being here."
"No, thank you for having us, Mr. Skaldur." Izuku replied, crossing his leg casually and leaning back to wrap his arm possessively over Mei's shoulders. He was decked out in a marvelous charcoal suit with a silk waistcoat and gold chained pocket watch. Mei was resplendent in a strapless black dress that fell to her ankles in elegant waves. Her normally wild mane was combed back from her face by her mother the moment the woman had heard she'd be on tv that night.
"Please, call me Light." The host cajoled before copying the younger man's pose himself. "Now, we wanted to talk to you about your company and the vast strides you've been making in the field of hero support. But first, I think everyone in this audience, no, all the eligible young ladies in Japan, want to know if the rumors are true. Are you in fact dating your lovely mechanic, Mr. Midoriya?"
The greenette laughed out loud at that. "I hardly think 'that many' people care about my love life, Light, but yes the rumors are true. Mei Hatsume and I have been dating for the last several months."
"And we've never been happier." Mei added with a warm smile that set more than a few hearts in the audience beating wildly.
Looking to the pinkette, Skaldur said, "I take it then that Mr. Midoriya is officially off the market then?"
She shrugged, "I'm not greedy. If another girl will cherish him as much as I do then who am I to argue. I was taught to share my toys after all." She giggled behind her hand and the audience went wild.
Meanwhile Izuku was smiling proudly at his girl. She really knew how to play up a crowd. That statement alone would guarantee his company a front page headline in the paper tomorrow for shock value alone.
When things grew calm once more the host decided to get things back on track. "Mr. Midoriya, can I just say how amazed I am at the progress of Brighter Horizons. Not even a year ago no one knew who you were or what your technology was capable of. Now look at you! Your company is tied with I-Island for sales of Hero Tech this quarter and you've bought up almost every bit of competition left in Japan. How did you do it?"
Smiling good-naturedly Izuku answered, "Well Light, when you've got a great product on your hands and you believe in the people that made it," he nudged his date lightly for emphasis, "then people take notice. Once word of the quality of our work was passed around it really only became a question of supply meeting the demand and the rest was history."
"So all it takes, in your words, to reach the top is to have a great idea?"
"Well, that, and the will to make your dream a reality. Much as I probably make it seem so, getting to where I am was not easy. I was a quirkless kid, constantly bullied, and told my life was meaningless by all the people around me. Teachers, students, even pro heroes I met on the street. I needed to get past all of that and find the meaning in my life that they all ignored. It's not something just anyone can do. There was a lot of prejudice against me when I started my business, and there were too many roadblocks to count. But throughout it all I held to the belief that being quirkless didn't define me. That in spite of that handicap I could be someone that worked to aid this world just as much as the heroes themselves. That is how I made it here, Light."
The host smiled, his sharp teeth whitened to an unnatural degree. "So what's next for you and Brighter Horizons?"
"We're gonna keep advancing. Our stock is only rising, we've acquired three more support subsidiaries in the last week alone, and we're slowly but surely cornering the support industry as a whole. In the next couple years I hope to see every hero in Japan using only Brighter Horizons equipment. Then it's on to the rest of the world."
"Well considering the quality we've seen on the heroes already wearing your brands, I'd say that's a marvelous dream for the future." The draconic man stared off into the center stage camera and said, "We'll be back with our dapper young guests after these short messages."
Elsewhere in Japan
A painfully thin blonde man stared at his television and found a stray tear falling down his face. He remembered that boy. How could he not? That day had been one of the greatest failures of his life. Even now he remembered the child's haunted face when he had crushed his dreams. He recalled coming to his senses later that night and rushing back to the same roof hoping to find him, hoping to apologize and reassure him that no dream was impossible if you were willing to work for it. He'd been so tired that day, so rundown, and he'd let it cause him to break with his own ideals and cause an innocent undue pain, especially when he himself had once been quirkless just like the boy. He'd allowed himself to become a hypocrite. But he'd been too late. All he'd found was a dried pile of a puke and a stain beside it that smelled of tears.
Of course All-Might had tried to look for the lad, to explain that he hadn't been himself that day and that he hadn't really meant what he said, but he'd never gotten his name, and Japan was a big place to search for one person. Now, here he was again. Izuku Midoriya was his apparent name, and it seemed he'd made something mighty impressive of himself… despite the pain All Might had caused him. Yagi Toshinori swore then and there that somehow he'd find a way to make it up to the boy. Maybe he could advertise his company's logo on his new costume?
Elsewhere
Sat with his parents in the living room of his home, a blond haired, Chihuahua looking, teenager watched the screen with rage in his eyes. Though he'd been to see Recovery Girl eight times since the USJ, large chunks of his body were still bruised angrily. Grinding his teeth together Katsuki Bakugo growled out, "What the fuck is this?"
"Language, Katsuki!" his mother exclaimed before adding a head-chop to quiet him down. An action that was remarkably easier since he'd been beaten down at school. "That's your little friend, Izuku. My, how he's grown."
"That Extra isn't my friend! He's a quirkless piece of shit!"
Mitsuki shuddered at those words and that tone. Months ago she'd been cornered by her old friend Inko while walking home from work and been shoved into an alley with no witnesses. When she'd made to ask what was wrong she'd been met with a file being shoved into her hands.
Inko had stared at her former best friend with pure hatred and said, "I just thought you'd want to know who and what your son really is. My Izuku saved these after each and every one of his attacks. Just know that the only reason he never used them was because he'd falsely convinced himself that Katsuki was his friend, and the only reason I'm not using them to sue your asses for everything you're worth is that my son begged me not to make you suffer for the acts of yours." Without another word Inko slapped her hard across the face, spun on her heel, and marched out of the alleyway.
So shocked was she for what had just occurred that it took the woman a solid five minutes to come back to reality and open the file in her hands. She immediately wished she hadn't. Sliding down the wall she ended up on her ass as she started flipping through the photos. So, so, many. Izuku with bruises, burns, and lacerations, and he looked so… heartbroken. As if he couldn't comprehend how someone could do such horrible things to himself. The pictures went back years.
Tears began to fall down the blonde's cheeks as she slammed the file closed and pressed it to her chest. This couldn't be right. Sure her son had a bit of an attitude problem, but his school psychiatrist had told her that was common with children that manifested powerful quirks. It was time to have another talk with the man.
Thus she embarked on the shortest investigation of her life. The shortest, because the answers came the moment she asked the first question of the psychiatrist. It was true, all of it. The psychiatrist had even tried to call the police on Katsuki a couple of times, but had been shot down by both the other teachers and the principal, who had told him that his job would be forfeit if he wrote or reported one wrong word about the school's star student. They wanted an alumni in UA, and his advancement meant more than the safety and happiness of a random quirkless kid.
Mitsuki hadn't known what to do. She'd tried confronting her son, demanding to know what he'd done to Izuku from his own lips, but he'd just claimed he couldn't have done anything wrong because no one, not even her, had ever told him off for it. If the teachers and other adults in his life were fine with his antics then why should he question himself?
She'd tried talking to the faculty at UA, and they'd assigned him a counselor, but the man had quit after the first meeting, stating that Katsuki was an egotistical narcissist with sociopathic tendencies and more than a little bit of a god complex. The man claimed psychological help would do nothing for one such as him unless he was committed and forced to take mandatory sessions with a fully trained psych team. There had been talk of removing him from the school, but apparently All-Might himself had spoken in her boy's defense, citing the need to offer him the chance to change for the better. Personally she just thought the others agreed with him because they were terrified he'd become a villain if he was kicked out. Honestly at that point so was she.
Now she was reduced to trying to remind him how he and Izuku had once been friends in the hope it would spark some empathy or compassion. It was not working. Inko was no longer talking to her, and her son was sparking his hands as if he were about to blow up the tv just because the oldest target of his rage and abuse was now rich, famous, and desirable in a way he could only hope to be.
'Please god,' she silently prayed, 'tell me what to do. Tell me how to save my little boy from himself!' She received no reply, and the interview carried on for another fifteen minutes after the commercial break, progressively making Katsuki's face ever darker.
The Next Night
"Mom, the plates are already perfectly aligned, you can relax." Izuku tried to soothe his bustling mother as she nervously flitted this way and that around their formerly tiny dining room. It was five times the size now following his purchase and renovation of the building. If he wasn't going to live in squalor then he most assuredly wasn't going to let the most important person in his life do so either.
"Oh?" The shorter woman blinked owlishly and started ringing her hands as she surveyed the set-up. All of their crockery and plates were also new, as was the table. "Y-Yes, I'm sure they are, b-but they could be more aligned. I just… this is a big thing for you, Izuku, and for me. This is the first girl you've… you've…"
"We… don't need to talk about that." Izuku blushed. Somehow when he got back after he and Mei had done the deed, his mother had just known. He still had no idea how he could hide being a criminal mastermind with a massive network of agents and a plan for national domination, but at the same time be unable to keep the signs of having lost his virginity from the woman.
Blushing just as much, Inko agreed, "That's right, we don't. But this is the first time I'm going to be meeting someone so important to you, and I want to make a good impression." Her eyes dropped, "I don't want to embarrass you in front of her."
"You could never embarrass me." The taller greenette hugged his mother tightly and added, "If it helps, she's just as nervous as you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm her first boyfriend too so she's never 'met the parents' before. Just relax and I'll try to help her do the same, and together we can have a nice dinner and then watch a movie. We don't need to overthink this."
Any other words were canceled by the ringing of the doorbell. Inko 'eeped' and rushed over to yank the front door open, startling the pink haired girl waiting with a tray of lasagna her parents had made into almost dropping it.
Izuku smiled warmly at the sight. His girlfriend was dressed conservatively in a pair of gray jeans and a red long sleeved shirt with a track jacket to tie the ensemble together, and both she and his mother were stuttering out apologies and telling each other how happy they were to finally be meeting. This was it, he thought, this was what a happy life looked like.
They quickly got situated at the table and Inko started dishing out her sides along with Mei's lasagna. They'd discussed the menu at length before arriving at that point. "So Mei, you work with my son at Brighter Horizons, is that right?" Inko started off the conversation.
Sitting at Izuku's side, Mei answered, "I actually work for him. I'm his head mechanic. I work on all of his R & D and maintain his optics."
"Oh, so you were the one that gave him the new eyes."
"Y-Yes. They were an original design of mine, and the moment he saw them he decided he had to hire me. I guess you could say his eyes brought us together." Mei turned to look at her boyfriend when she said it, and blushed anew when she saw the smile her words were giving him.
Inko too was smiling, but for her, it was a matter of seeing the tenderness displayed between the teenagers seated before her. For her son she'd been desperate to make a good impression on her guest, but she'd honestly been of the opinion that no girl alive could be good enough for her little boy. She'd been proven wrong here tonight. What she was seeing between Izuku and Mei… she'd only seen it in a very few other couples in her life. And it was clearly real. After all, how many other girls could be trusted to put metal instruments in her boy's head?
"If you don't mind me asking, why isn't someone of your skill attending UA or one of the other hero support programs? I'm only asking because I know you and my Izuku are the same age."
The pinkette sighed, already having expected that question. "I actually was attending UA earlier this year but I was… expelled."
"Really? Why?"
"I apparently didn't have the best creative methods and I kinda, sorta, blew up the lab one too many times." She cringed, awaiting the explosion of criticisms that everyone else she'd told this story to (including her own parents) had provided, but Inko just shrugged and took another bite of her lasagna.
"Well that's not so bad. Why would they let you go over something as silly as that?"
Mei blinked. "Y-You don't mind that I was expelled?"
"Why should I mind? All you did was have a quirky nature and blow some things up. Why, when I was a pro hero I tended to level entire skyscrapers with an accidental sneeze." She waved a hand lazily, "Compared to that you're a saint."
Mei stared at the older woman in awe for four solid seconds before muttering, "I-I think I might love you, Mrs. Midoriya."
The green haired woman leaned over the table to pat the teenager's hand affectionately and went back to her meal.
They ate together for the next twenty minutes, slowly enjoying the home cooking and trading idle conversation and backgrounds until all their plates were clear and it was time to take care of the dishes.
"Izuku, honey," Inko grabbed her son's attention, "why don't you pick out the movie for tonight, line up the blankets on the couch, and get the popcorn ready while Mei and I take care of these plates."
Sensing at once that this was not a suggestion, but rather a politely veiled order, the criminal overlord beat a hasty retreat from the room, leaving his girlfriend and mother alone for the first time that evening. The mother in question slowly rose and started collecting the plates while Mei retrieved the silverware and together they made it to the sink and dry rack.
Starting the water to heat it Inko said, "Izuku bought us a top of the line dishwasher, but sometimes I still feel like these things get a little cleaner with a personal touch." She stoppered the sink and added a bit of soap, "I'll wash, you dry."
"U-Um okay." Mei didn't know why, but she had the feeling this was about more than just dishes and it was making her quite nervous, especially now that they were all alone. She'd heard horror stories from her own mother about situations just like this. With jittery fingers Mei set about drying with a rag hanging above the rack and together the two women got into a steady rhythm.
It was as the work was about halfway done that Inko broached the topic that had been most on her mind. "Mei, it's just us here, and I want you to know that I am not judging you no matter what your answer is. I simply need to know a few things as a mother, for my own peace of mind. Do you understand?"
Mei gulped and nodded.
"Good. Now, I know you and Izuku are… physically intimate." Mei blushed crimson at that frank statement. "I already said I won't judge and I mean that. You are teenagers, you're emotionally involved, I was once too and I know what those things can lead to. But I need to know, are you both using protection?"
"I-I'm on the pill."
"And did Izuku use a condom with you? I bought him a few packages of them today just in case."
Though this situation was indeed as awkward as her mother had suggested in her stories, it was nowhere near as scary, and the mechanic was really starting to feel at ease around her boyfriend's mom. "We've, uh, only done it once so far, and he didn't use one then. That's probably because we didn't exactly plan to… have sex when we did."
"Ah, young love. I remember those days. But now?"
"Yes, he says he plans to use them. We know that accidents can happen and neither one of us is ready to be parents yet."
"Smart." Inko sighed with relief. "I'm far too young to be a grandma." She cleaned a pair of forks and passed them over. "I think I know the answer to this but I want to hear it from your own lips. Mei Hatsume, do you love my son?"
The pinkette stilled at once. The forks still wrapped by the rag in her hands. Then she slowly put them in the 'clean' tray and braced her hands on the counter. "Yes. Yes I do."
"Tell me why."
"Izuku found me at what had to be the lowest point in my life. I thought UA was going to be my future. That surely the geniuses that ran their Support classes would recognize my skills and talent and nurture my creative instincts where all those in middle school and back scorned me. I was wrong. They tossed me to the curb. But then Izuku showed up, rolling in on that ridiculous mobile office of his and asking to see my babies."
At the mother's curious look she explained, "I call my inventions my babies, because I create them. Anyway, as you can imagine I was pretty down in the dumps, but your son picked me up, called me amazing, and asked me to join his company at his side. Because of that I found myself in a place where I could grow, flourish, and create to my heart's content. He saw me, the real me, and he didn't shy away. He… accepted all of who I am. That is why I love your son."
Inko turned and wrapped an arm around Mei's shoulders, pulling her in for a side hug. "I believe you. Now for my final question, where do you see this relationship with Izuku going? I saw that interview you did, would you really want to share him?"
Mei didn't even have to think. She'd long since made this decision. "I want to marry him."
"Really?"
"Yes. Not right now, probably not for a long time if I'm being honest, but I see us going long term. To the end. I want to be… no, I 'will' be his wife someday. And as for sharing him… I meant what I said in that interview. If someone else can love and cherish him as much as I do then it would be cruel to keep him only to myself. Especially if he could elevate others like he did me. I believe what we have is strong enough to share it."
Inko hugged her again and then went back to her dishes. "I believe you. You know, a multi-relationship isn't something that I myself have a lot of experience in, but my sister does and she seems quite happy with the arrangement. Perhaps she could offer you some pointers if things get complicated." Inko rapidly finished the last pan, drained the water, and turned to face the pinkette fully, "I know it's a little early for this, but welcome to the family, Mei." Inko held open her arms and an incredibly relieved mechanic rushed into them.
It was in that embrace that Mei decided her boyfriend was right. Inko did give the best hugs. "So what now?" She asked as they separated.
"Now we go and enjoy movie night with our favorite young man. But keep in mind he always chooses horror movies so be prepared to get scared."
Mei smiled, "Then I'll just have to hold on tight to Izuku so he can protect me."
Inko smiled at the girl one last time before leading her into the living room where her son was waiting with three bowls of popcorn. Yes, Mei was just perfect for her son.
Three Weeks Later - UA Sports Stadium
As Izuku's SUV pulled up outside the stadium his phone rang. Seeing this, Mei activated a device on her belt and a noise cancellation field went into effect around them. The van was soundproofed of course but this close to UA one couldn't be too careful.
"Yes, Stain?"
"You about to head in for the Sports Festival?"
"Yes, it should prove fascinating."
A low growl came over the line, "I can't believe you're going to waste your time at that blatant celebration of hypocrisy."
Only through sheer force of will did the greenette stop himself from bashing his phone against his skull with annoyance. They'd had this argument before. Several times. "Three reasons. First, Mei was overdue for a date and she wanted to watch her former schoolmates beat the shit out of each other. I thought that sounded fun so I agreed to take her. Second, me being there will be great advertising for the company and my civilian cover if anyone really takes notice of me. Third, this is a fine opportunity to scout the quirks and abilities of the next generation of so-called heroes. It will put me ahead of the game when it comes time to neutralize them."
"Ugh. You make good points."
"I always do, now what's the real issue, Stain?"
"I'm gonna be out of town for a while. It makes me nervous leaving you all alone."
His earlier annoyance forgotten, the crime lord smiled fondly into the air. Stain, in many ways, had become a true mentor to him in the time since they'd first met. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, nothing to be worried about. The Sports Festival is just going to offer a great distraction and I can't not use it. I'm heading to Hosu to do some hunting."
"Hm, smart plan. Who's first on the list?"
"Bastard calls himself Ingenium. He's been selling out to a bunch of advertising companies to make money off of his image for toys and taking time off of his patrolling to film commercials. That time could have been used to better protect the people, but instead he's marketing."
"Yeah… you might want to let Ingenium off the hook for that this time." Izuku hedged.
"What! Why?"
"I've been following that development as well, and see, he's not keeping any of that revenue."
Stain was silent for a moment before asking, "What does that mean?"
"Last month he made a Make A Wish appearance at the children's cancer ward in Kyoto General Hospital and it seems to have really been affecting him since. Yeah he's selling action figures and promoting other company's products with commercials, but he's using all of the proceeds to buy toys for those kids. To my mind he's just found another way to be a hero. He's still helping those in need."
Once more Stain grew silent and Izuku could just imagine him looking off into the distance, absorbing those words in that still way of his. Then he said, "Thanks, kid. You just stopped me from taking the life of a true hero. It would have been such a waste."
"Hey, that's why we're a team, Stain. We help each other to make sure our dreams can become a true reality. For me, that means making sure the heroes you kill actually are in fact false heroes."
"I appreciate it, Izuku. Maybe I'll try A-Train."
"The speedster? Yeah he's a media whore with five civilian deaths in his background. Have at him." Behind his closed lids Izuku's optics rapidly searched for all relevant data on the hero in question. His habits, personality, fighting style, and known areas of operation. Then he forwarded them to Stain's private email. "I just sent you everything you'll need to take him on, along with two different plans of approach should you choose to use them. You'll need to catch him totally by surprise or he'll overpower you in a second."
"Won't be a problem. Thanks, kid. Enjoy your date."
"Will do." After a glimpse at his wildly waving girlfriend he added, "Mei says good luck too."
Stain chuckled. "You sure know how to pick em. I'll call you when it's done."
"Much appreciated." Izuku hung up the phone, took Mei's hand in his own, and together they left the SUV to be confronted by the immediate flashing of paparazzi cameras and a slew of questions from reporters as their security guards pushed forward to clear a path inside. They smiled and waved all the way through the gates before easing their shoulders and moving at a more sedate pace to the elevator that would take them to their private viewing box. It had cost a pretty penny to reserve it, but it was worth it to see Mei smile, and to wave at the executives in the neighboring boxes (there were many ways to market yourself after all).
When the elevator dinged closed behind them he wrapped an arm around Mei's waist and drew her close. "Are you okay?"
"I am." A bloodthirsty smile was starting to grow on her face. "I thought it would be painful to come back here… to any place associated with UA, I mean. But I feel… at peace as long as you're with me."
"We could have gone somewhere else."
"No. This is where I want to be, and you need intel on the students. This place doesn't have any power over me anymore." The elevator dinged on their floor and together they made their way down a hall filled with numbered doors until they reached their reserved section. The greenette entered the passcode and the happy couple entered the room, locking the door behind them. The interior was upscale, classy, and had a series of comfortable looking leather recliners facing a wall length span of glass that looked out onto the vast stadium floor below.
Mei took one look at the scene and grinned cheekily before pushing her man into the middle seat and plopping herself happily in his lap. "This is going to be a date to remember." She practically sang as she snuggled into his chest.
Izuku, who was listening to the opening remarks made by Present Mic, couldn't help but agree. Yes, this certainly promised to be quite interesting.
Note: Just in case it wasn't clear, Izuku didn't press assault charges against Bakugo because he wants him out in the open where his men can keep getting to him.
Note: Modeled Orpos interrogation scene after an article I once read about advanced police interrogation techniques.
