Welcome, Heroes. Rio is back with the next installment of Domestic Heroes. Got another simple one ready for you all, so I hope you enjoy it. This one, in my opinion, isn't really the best that I've written so far. It took me so long to figure something out for this fic, and what I got as a result doesn't fully satisfy me. It could be better, I can feel it, but I had trouble trying to figure out how to improve it. My buds over at the izuocha discord think that it's good, though, so I'll trust their judgement. I suppose I'm just being too hard on myself. Regardless, this fic here is ready for your enjoyment, everyone, and I do hope you like it. Take care and I will see you in the author's notes.
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction in dedication to a much grander work. As such, the author does not own the rights to any characters within this story, and any correlation between any original characters that may appear and people in the real world are merely coincidental.
My Hero Academia: Domestic Heroes.
Double Dating
"Huh… This is weird. I thought Iida would be here before us. Kind of odd for us to be the early ones this time."
"Maybe he got caught up in one of Hatsume's experiments again and got held up. Wouldn't be the first time."
"…That's a good point."
Both Izuku and Ochako sighed as they thought of the numerous circumstances that could make their best friend and his girlfriend late. Today was the couple's typical date night and they decided to mix it up by inviting Tenya and Mei along, making it a double date. After waiting for Inko and Toshinori to come over to watch Eri and Mikan, the two made their way to the train station and then to the location where they were supposed to meet the other couple. Expecting their best friend to be early, they were mildly surprised to not see him at the location, before proceeding to simply wait until he and his significant other arrive.
"…So, what do you think is making him late? Probably an invention of some sort? Or a modification to his suit." Izuku questioned.
"Invention, definitely. Usually his suit mods don't make him late. The inventions, though…" Ochako answered before trailing off, a haunted expression marring her face as Izuku patted her shoulder in sympathy.
"I understand. Hatsume's inventions are impressive and all, but they can be…quite dangerous at times. I still remember the one involving an electric sponge. What in the world was she thinking at the time." Izuku muttered, shaking his head in disbelief as Ochako snorted slightly.
"She was dared to do that, remember? Although she did have a bit too much fun with it." The woman snickered before brightening up in amusement. "Hey, remember the time she made that custom helmet for Mineta and it 'accidentally' kept cutting his sticky hair?"
"Or those special combat boots for Monoma that kept catching on fire after going just a few meters. Everyone was laughing when that happened!" Izuku grinned mischievously, getting a giggle from his companion in response.
"Oh, oh! What about the toasters! Oh man, Iida was so steamed about that one!"
"I remember that! He gave Hatsume quite the lecture after he got them under control! The only time I recall seeing him that mad was when she-"
"When I what, Midoriya?" An energetic voice spoke up, causing the couple to jump in surprise. Turning their heads, the pair immediately turned sheepish as they immediately saw the pair they were looking for, the both of them wearing amused expressions as they approached the couple.
"Ah… H-Hey, Iida. H-Hatsume. How… Uh… What kept ya?" Ochako asked, her pink cheeks turning darker in embarrassment as she spoke.
"I apologize for our tardiness. I just had to visit my brother and his expecting wife briefly before arriving. What with me about to be an uncle and all, I thought it would be best to check in on the two from time to time to see how they are doing. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu send their regards, by the way." Tenya explained, who appeared to be enjoying the flustered and apologetic expressions on the pair's faces while Mei simply laughed.
"Relax, you two, we know you guys were just joking. To be fair, you were almost right. I held up Tenya here with one of my latest inventions for a little bit, but thankfully it didn't take me long to get where I needed to be before I left my place." Mei said dismissively before suddenly appearing to Izuku's side and proceeding to feel him up, much to his discomfort and Ochako's ire. "Hmm… Midoriya, did you bulk up again? You seem more muscley since than before. Looks like I'm going to have to adjust the modifications I have planned for your suit next chance I get."
"Er… Hatsume…?" Ochako spoke up, a stained smile and a twitching eyebrow on her face as she tried to get the energetic woman's attention. "Um… Not to be rude or anything…but is it really necessary for you to, I dunno…touch my boyfriend like that?"
"Hmm? Of course, Uraraka. How else am I going to get an accurate estimation of his physical changes in order to make my adjustments?" Mei answered, giving the brunette a confused look as she let go of Izuku, much to his relief. "Want me to do the same with you? You're due for another suit upgrade anyways and I think I came up with an idea on how you can manipulate the amount of gravity you can remove from an object and a special jetpack that can be used in conjunction with your Quirk. Though I may have to adjust the size a bit to accommodate some extra weight. I think you got a little bigger, particularly in the chest area..."
"H-Huh!? What's that supposed ta mean!?" Ochako exclaimed as she held her arms over said chest, slowly backing away from the quirky engineer as she got closer to her.
"…Well Hatsume's as strange as ever. I don't know how you're able to keep up with her, Iida. She's so…enthusiastic at the best of times." Izuku said with a shaky laugh after recovering from being manhandled. It happened to him quite often, so he was able to return to normal fairly quick.
"…Patience, Midoriya. Lots…and lots of patience." Tenya sighed, exasperated by his girlfriend's behavior, but held a wry smile as he watched the two women interact with one another. "Still, though, I can't imagine myself with anyone else anymore. Unlike you and Uraraka, I ended up seeing a few other people before Mei, and while she's more of a handful than my previous relations combined…she's also more endearing than them. It's quite strange, really. I can't explain exactly why I am so fond of her, but I am. Does that make sense?"
"It does. I'm happy you found someone special to be with, Iida. Hatsume's strange, but she's good for you. I can tell." Izuku said with a wide grin and a hand patting Tenya's shoulder, causing the taller man to grin back, before the two returned their attention to the girls, both of them becoming a bit incredulous by the sight of Mei trying desperately to get a hold of Ochako while Ochako herself was trying to escape. "…I suggest we reign in the girls now. If we leave them alone any longer, they might get arrested for public indecency and disturbing the peace."
"…I concur. That has nearly happened to Mei three times in the past five months because she couldn't control herself." Tenya sighed before walking over to the women, leaving Izuku alone to stare at the engine hero curiously before shaking his head and following along.
It didn't take much effort to break the two up and calming them down, though Ochako was a little reluctant to be near Mei for quite some time. Once everyone was calm, the quartet proceeded to walk down the busy shopping district, content with simple small talk and enjoying each other's company as they simply took a stroll in the bustling area. They made a numerous amount of stops on the way whenever they found something of interest, such as Izuku at a figurine store and Mei at a secluded junkshop. It was a simple, relaxing day for the young heroes, but one that they enjoyed nonetheless. It was, after all, quite rare for Izuku, Ochako and Tenya to spend time together like they used to. Hanging out together as they currently were made them feel nostalgic, and the fact that Mei was also accompanying them with her usual brand of zaniness made the day all the more interesting. Especially when it came to swapping stories.
"…And that is why you shouldn't use uranium to fuel a fully mechanized power suit! Plutonium works best!" Mei grinned while finishing her story as she set her cup down, she and the others having found themselves sitting at an outdoor café and enjoying some well-deserved coffee and tea after a long day of walking.
"…Ok?" Ochako muttered while taking a sip of her tea, staring at the odd, pink-haired woman beside her warily for a few more moments before turning to Tenya curiously. "By the way, Iida, did your brother ever figure out the gender of his baby yet? I'm sure they'll be cute either way, but I'm really curious as to whether you're going to have a niece or nephew."
"Not sure. They won't say. They want the gender of the child to be a surprise. I personally would like to know what the gender of my future children would be so that I could appropriate the proper names, but that is just me." Tenya explained, giving Ochako an apologetic expression and missing Mei's bemused stare at him, when he continued. "By the way, Midoriya told me that you finally managed to achieve your dream of giving your family an easy life in the form of a home in Hawaii. Congratulations for accomplishing one of your life goals, Uraraka! I'm sure your parents were most happy and appreciative of what you've done for them!"
"They were. We surprised them on our trip to the hot springs they helped restore, and seeing as it was most likely their last job before going over for good, Ochako decided it would be a good time to spring the surprise." Izuku spoke up, giving his girlfriend a proud look, much to her embarrassment. "We're planning on making the move in about a couple months. After New Years, definitely. With Eri's birthday coming up, along with Christmas and Ochako's birthday, we thought it'd be best to wait until everything's taken care off before helping them out with the move. We're even planning on doubling it as a family vacation with Eri, my mom, and All Might, too, with my dad meeting us when it's time. We're going to be very busy in the near future, but it will be quite fun, nevertheless."
"Fantastic! I am happy that you and your family will be going on a wondrous trip in the future! With everything that you and Uraraka have been through, you deserve such a break!" Tenya congratulated causing the couple to smile bashfully as Mei walked to the pair and pat them on the back.
"No kidding! You guys worked your butts off to make that dream a reality! Just as hard as I do when I'm working on my babies! Sure, you two took a few breaks here and there to keep from burning out, but you still went above and beyond! Props to you, guys!" Mei cheered with as much enthusiasm before suddenly digging into her bag. "Speaking of your girl's birthday, I made her a little something as a present! Since Tenya and I won't be able to make it for her birthday because of a thing with his family, I thought it would be best to give you our presents ahead of time. I'm sure she'll like mine! Just don't open it until the day of, ok? I want it to be a surprise."
"…You finished Eri's present already? I thought you were still working on the kinks to keep it from exploding too much?" Tenya questioned, causing Izuku and Ochako to pale drastically as Mei continued to shift through her bag.
"Nope! Took care of the exploding! Now it only shocks! Not nearly as lethal!" Mei chirped with a wink, pulling out a small box out of her bag and handed it to Ochako, who was holding it nervously. "Here! Nice and fresh! Just make sure you don't drop it or get it wet!"
"Um… T-Thanks, Hatsume, but I think we'll be happy with a card." Izuku spoke up with a shaky smile.
"Nonsense! That little angel of yours deserves the best, and I know that this present is one of my better inventions! Hope she likes it!" The inventor grinned before turning to Tenya eagerly. "Say, Tenya! Think we can go back to that supply shop really quick? I saw some interesting materials there that I can use to further upgrade my babies! If we do, I promise to take you to that new hero movie that's going to play tonight! Oh, and don't forget to give these guys your gift, too."
"Of course, Mei. And your idea sounds wonderful! I think I will take you up on that!" Tenya said as he reached into his satchel and pulled out his own present, a rectangular one with a winged boot theme on it and placed it on the table beside Izuku. "Uraraka! Midoriya! Sorry to depart so soon! We had a great time I assure you! I do hope we get to do this again in the near future! Farewell, my friends!"
Before the two could say their goodbyes, the odd pair proceeded to leave the table, leaving behind the money for their drinks before departing. Izuku and Ochako could only watch in disbelief as Tenya and Mei disappeared into the crowd, unsure of what to say, before looking down at the present that the odd pinkette left behind cautiously.
"…Deku. I really hope she was joking about the explosions and electrocutions."
"Same. Let's just buy a card and convince them to write in it before they leave. Just in case."
"Good idea."
Prompt 23: Double Date
And that is number 23, heroes. Like I said, not entirely the best thing that I've written, but I hope its still a good enough read for you all. I suppose I'm just feeling a little worn out by everything, lately, and that might be reflected by my work. I feel like this could be written better, I know it, but I couldn't figure out how... Oh well, I suppose it will come to me eventually. Either that or I'm being to critical on myself. That tends to happen a lot. Regardless, I got one more piece of nonsensical fluff and silliness to show before a special piece arrives for you all on Friday. Truly hope you all will enjoy it. With that said, thank you all so much for reading my work and sticking through it thus far. I hope you all have a wonderful time and I will see you all on the next update.
Until then, Farewell, and remember: Go Beyond. Plus Ultra.