Thanks to my involvement in several major cases, I had quite a few agencies looking forward to a phone call from me. I didn't find out until then that All Might had been talking me up to some of his colleges in a few places. I wished I could've thanked him for all the word of mouth. Instead, I dropped a few coins into a shrine box for Kannon, as well as for Yebisu, whom I've always felt a special connection with. I never did acquire a taste for his beer though.
Graduation day had finally come, and I was ready to take my place among the proud students of UA. Momo Yaoyorozu was our valedictorian, and gave the most beautiful speech I'd ever heard. I remember thinking she was going to be amazing at soundbites when she was a pro. I would be happy if I made it through without an "Umm" or an "Uhh."
Peering out over the sea of people, I saw Eri, sticking out of the crowd and waving. She was sitting on Mirio's shoulders. They'd both managed to find my mother, who was taking way too many pictures,and I think she might've been crying. I know she was when I met up with them after the ceremony.
We'd discussed my plans of moving into Mirio's apartment after graduation in advance. But it seems the date really snuck up on her. She embraced me for what seemed like an excessively long time, but may have only been minutes. I loved my mother dearly, but it was still hard to call myself close to her after the rocky start we had when I was growing up. I used to wonder if she even loved me before I got One-For-All. Of course, I know that's ridiculous, but sometimes it felt that way.
I collected my meager possessions; my weights, my posters and collectables, and all the essentials, and loaded everything into the truck we'd rented for the move. It wasn't long before I was a permanent fixture in the happy little home.
On a hot Saturday morning in July, Mirio and I were awakened by the clatter of pots and pans. He told me tostay in bed while he went to figure out what all the noise was about. It wasn't long before he returned with a wide grin.
"By order of Princess Eri, we are demanded to stay in bed until she delivers our surprise birthday breakfast."
"I'll try and act surprised." I Chuckled, settling back into the pillows.
"You've got a lot of surprises coming to you today." He replied slyly, and crawled back into bed next to me.
Eventually, Eri appeared with a tray carrying two bowls of rice porridge with bananas and strawberries. The rice porridge had been made with what I can only describe as fish or pork stock, so the strange blend of savory and sweet was...maybe less than appetizing. She'd also buttered us some toast and poured some juice.
"Happy Birthday!" She cheered, passing the tray to Mirio. "It's convienient the two of you share a birthday. Now I only have one date to remember."
"Yeah, funny how that worked out." I took a sip of the juice and tasted the porridge.
"Well, lets make it even easier!" Mirio stood and went to his dresser. Opening his sock drawer, he pulled out a small, dark blue box.
My eyes fixed on the box as he brought it over to the bed. "So, uh...Man, I'm really bad at knowing what to say." He began. "You're 18 today, and I wanted to do something special.
He opened the box. Inside was a beautiful, shiny wrist watch. It was silver and black, and looked kind of old. I didn't know what to say.
"I didn't think you were exactly a ring-guy, especially with your power having a tenancy to make your fingers swell up so..."
I looked at Eri, who seemed just as surprised as I was. Her mouth hung open in anticipation.
"A...watch instead of a ring? I don't-"
"Yeah, I know it's kind of….unorthadox, but I didn't think you'd mind." Worry creased his usually smooth features. "If you don't like it, we can-"
"No! I love it! It's beautiful, and practical. Thank you so much!" I reached for the box, but he pulled it back.
"I don't think you understand." He took the watch out of the box and fastened it around my wrist. "Izuku Midoria, I am asking you to marry me."
I was stunned. I think I moved my mouth to make words, but nothing came out. I finally forced out a choked sob that sounded enough like, "Yes" to get my point across. Eri clambored up onto the bed, nearly overturning the birthday breakfast. She threw an arm aroundeach of us, and kissed both our cheeks. Mirio enfolded all of us in his larger-than-life bear hug, and we all just...basked is the only word I can think of to describe it. Thus began the Happiest Day of my life.
I called my mother and a few friends, and Mirio called a few friends, and Eri spent the day trying to wedding-plan.
"We don't need a big, fancy wedding." I kept trying to tell her. "We'll probably just go down to City Hall and sign some paperwork."
"But that's boring!" She protested.
"Eri's right, we should at least do something."
"Well, I guess we could have a nice dinner or something." I shrugged.
"It's kind of weird, I always had you pegged as the hopeless romantic type when it came to this sort of thing. You always have super detailed plans for practically everything. I just thought this would be already planned in a folder somewhere."
"I never thought I'd get married. Therewas so much other stuff at the top of my priority list first. I never thought about it.
The Happiest Day
Mirio rubbed at the back of his neck. "To tell the truth, this wasn't exactly how I thought I'd get married. I had always pictured the person standing across from me in a wedding dress. I'm going to have to reevaluate." He laughed.
Eri gasped. "You'd look so pretty in a wedding dress, Deku!"
"Eri, I am not wearing a wedding dress."
"But why not? They're so pretty!"
"Eri, I am not wearing a wedding dress."
Mirio was dying, practically ready to bust a gut. "C'mon Midoria, they're pretty!"
I couldn't help but smile too. "I just don't think they're my style. Maybe formal kimono? Or white tuxedoes? You'd look really nice in a white tux."
"Like Prince Charming." Eri giggled.
"Yeah. A knight in shining rental wear." He managed to get a laugh out of all of us. But it was never hardfor him. If his quirk was being able to phase through solid objects, his real super power was getting people to smile and laugh, no matter what the circumstances. It's exactly the kind of hero I want to be, and exactly the kind of man I want to marry.